-
Jamison Hensley, ESPN Staff Writer
OWINGS MILLS, Md. — The Baltimore Ravens announced on Friday that they have agreed to a deal with Jadeveon Clowney, the former No. 1 pick, adding much-needed depth at the outside linebacker position.
According to a source, the one-year contract is worth $2.5 million but could increase to $6 million. ESPN’s Adam Schefter and Jeremy Fowler reported the details.
“He is a tough, hard-nosed player who throws his body around,” said Ravens coach John Harbaugh. “We have faced him many times and are excited to have him on our team.
“I believe he is underrated as a pass rusher.”
This summer, the Ravens have shown interest in various free agent edge rushers, including Kyle Van Noy and Dawuane Smoot.
Clowney, who was selected first overall in the 2014 draft, received a contract offer from the Ravens during his visit on August 8, but he left without signing. He then visited the Jacksonville Jaguars.
By joining the Ravens, Clowney reunites with Anthony Weaver, the team’s assistant head coach and defensive line coach. Weaver previously worked with Clowney for three years when he was the defensive line coach for the Houston Texans.
With 43 career sacks, Clowney, a three-time Pro Bowler, has more sacks than all the current Ravens outside linebackers combined (28.5).
“The guys just want to win,” Clowney told the Ravens’ team website. “They call and say, ‘We’re just trying to win. We can do it here. With the pieces around us, you can come in and help.’ I think they have a great team and a great chance to win. I want to be a part of it.”
This season, the team plans to rely on young edge rushers Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo, but lacks proven backups for them. With Tyus Bowser still recovering from a knee injury and on the non-football injury list, Baltimore did not have any outside linebackers in practice who were older than 25.
Justin Houston, who led the Ravens with 9.5 sacks last season, recently signed a one-year, $7 million contract with the Carolina Panthers. Baltimore did not express much interest in keeping Houston, according to a source.
Clowney, who turned 30 in February, played for the Cleveland Browns during the past two seasons, signing consecutive one-year deals.
In his first year with the Browns in 2021, he recorded nine sacks while playing alongside All-Pro Myles Garrett. However, Clowney had a disappointing 2022 season, finishing with only two sacks.
During the season, Clowney expressed frustrations, accusing the Browns organization of favoritism toward Garrett. He later apologized for his comments.
Before a game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, Clowney was sent home for making those comments and was ruled out of the game, in which the Browns lost. Browns defensive ends coach Chris Kiffin also confirmed that Clowney had refused to play in a previous game against the Ravens due to dissatisfaction with how he was being utilized by the team.
Denial of responsibility! VigourTimes is an automatic aggregator of Global media. In each content, the hyperlink to the primary source is specified. All trademarks belong to their rightful owners, and all materials to their authors. For any complaint, please reach us at – [email protected]. We will take necessary action within 24 hours.
