Houston Texans exercise Jadeveon Clowney’s option
By John Buhler
The Houston Texans wisely exercised their fifth-year option on former No. 1 overall pick from the 2014 NFL Draft defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
This was a no-brainer decision for the Houston Texans to make, but this is also the same NFL franchise that paid backup quarterback Brock Osweiler $72 million a little over a year ago. Houston made the right choice by exercising their fifth-year option on defensive end Jadeveon Clowney.
The Texans had until May 3 to exercise Clowney’s option for a fifth-season with a team. That was the deadline for all former first-round picks from that 2014 NFL Draft. Houston took Clowney No. 1 overall that year out of the University of South Carolina.
While Clowney had a rough start to his NFL career in 2014 and 2015, 2016 was by far and away his best season as a professional. He played in and started 14 games for the AFC South champion Texans. Clowney had 52 combined tackles, 6.0 quarterback sacks, two passes defended and a forced fumble.
2016 was the first year that Clowney reached the Pro Bowl. Houston needed him to step up in a big way once star defensive end J.J. Watt saw his season come to an end with a back injury pretty much before it started. Clowney, defensive end Whitney Mercilus and the ageless defensive tackle Vince Wilfork helped the 2016 Texans have one of the best defenses in football.
Clowney not only accepted the increased workload placed on him by Watt’s injury, but thoroughly embraced the opportunity to get better as year three progressed. He made a quantum leap as an edge player, one that hopefully is here to stay.
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Clowney came to the NFL with immense hype. His rare combination of both speed and power made him a lock to be the No. 1 overall pick in 2014. However, his motor was routinely scrutinized, as was his durability. Letting Clowney hit unrestricted free agency in 2018 would have been unacceptable for Houston any way.