Jadeveon Clowney is the best free agent available, and it’s time for the Dallas Cowboys to make a bold signing.
Recently, the Dallas Cowboys made an impulsive signing, bringing in former Cincinnati Bengals serial playoff-losing quarterback Andy Dalton to either back up Dak Prescott or put the franchise passer they are still negotiating with under some pressure.
Signing Jadevone Clowney would be a much more meaningful move for the organization.
Months after the first wave of free agency and weeks after the draft, Clowney remains an unsigned free agent due to his salary demands. It seemed like he and the Seattle Seahawks would be able to agree to a deal, but the ‘Hawks, as usual, didn’t want to pay a premium price to keep their biggest difference-maker on defense.
After Byron Jones joined the Miami Dolphins on a hefty, but well-deserved, contract, the Cowboys are in need a difference-maker of their own. They still have a talented secondary, bolstered by the cheap signing of Ha Ha Clinton-Dix. Their linebackers are great, with Leighton Vander Esch and Jaylon Smith leading the way. And their defensive line is good on paper with DeMarcus Lawrence and Gerald McCoy leading the way.
But the Cowboys need another superstar. They are in an arms race in the NFC, not just with Howie Roseman’s carefully-crafted Philadelphia Eagles, but with juggernauts like the New Orleans Saints and San Francisco 49ers. The Cowboys must match the Saints’ offense and 49ers’ defense for star power, and, currently, it feels like they are missing one piece.
Clowney can be that guy. He is one of the best edge defenders in the NFL against the run and pass, having starred for the Houston Texans before Bill O’Brien inexplicably – well, perhaps the explanation is “It’s Bill O’Brien, duh!” – traded him for peanuts to the Seahawks.
The former South Carolina star broke his streak of three straight seasons with at least 16 tackles for loss, failing to be a superstar player for the Seahawks in 2019. Hence why he’s still a free agent in May and is looking at a one-year deal.
But a one-year deal with no long-term risk sounds perfect for the Cowboys. At worst, Clowney plays like he did in 2019, and Dallas overpays for one year of a “decent” Clowney. At best, he plays like he did in 2017, recording more than 20 tackles for loss as one of the most disruptive all-around edge defenders in the NFL.
A bookend of Clowney and Lawrence sounds like one of the scariest tandems in the NFL, and with McCoy and Dontari Poe putting in work at defensive tackle, Clowney could really explode in Dallas. Throw in the talented linebackers behind the defensive line, and Clowney could be in the perfect bounce-back situation in Dallas. If he sees it that way and likes the idea of playing in Dallas more than Seattle, maybe the Cowboys can get away with paying a little less than the Seahawks would have.
Either way, the Cowboys need to make bold moves. No, “bold” and “stupid” are not synonyms. There is nothing imprudent or nonsensical about making a serious effort to sign a talented 27-year-old edge defender who has all the ingredients for a statement season in 2020.