Why the New Orleans Saints make the most sense for Jadeveon Clowney
By Jake Rajala
Everson Griffin recently signed with the Cowboys, so that leaves one premier pass rusher left on the market. That player is Jadeveon Clowney and the Saints could very likely be the next playoff contender to scoop up an elite pass rusher.
Jadeveon Clowney has been a three-time Pro-Bowler since coming into the league as a No. 1 overall pick; now, he could be the Saints next target. The defensive end turned 27 years old in February, so there’s plenty of untapped potential for the quarterback hunter.
He hasn’t signed with a team yet, because the money hasn’t been attractive enough and he wants to sign with a Super Bowl contender. Out of the Super Bowl contenders out there, the Saints seem like the best fit.
The Saints don’t have a huge need at defensive end, but Sean Payton knows that Clowney could propel their Super Bowl chances by fitting into the versatile defense. Clowney may also be in a position to take less money than he wants if he wants to play in 2020.
This all bodes well for the Saints to scoop Clowney up with less money than he anticipates and the combination are hungry for a championship run.
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The Saints have Marcus Davenport at DE, along with All-Pro DE Cam Jordan.
However, Davenport hasn’t been able to stay on the field for playoff action due to injuries in each of the last two seasons. Clowney has his own injury concerns, but he did play through last year’s playoffs and he’s actually played a full season in his career.
If Saints signed Clowney, they could likely have a reliable pass-rushing duo for playoffs and a duo that would be dominant against the high passing offenses in the NFC.
With Clowney, Davenport, and Jordan, New Orleans D-line could get really creative and kick Jordan inside. That would leave the 6-foot-6 pass-rushing duo of Clowney and Davenport to unleash havoc on the edges.
Clowney can also play outside linebacker and that’s a big question mark for the Saints defense right now.
LB Kiko Alonso is coming off another torn ACL and Alex Anzalone has missed more playing time than snaps in his young career. Rookie Zack Baun is there, but he might be a project player and he isn’t proven to produce at a high level yet.
Clowney can move around with All-Pro LB Demario Davis behind the D-Line, then have the comfort of coming off the edges with his hand on the ball. Clowney is versatile and would have his plectra of reps in Dennis Allen’s complex, attacking defense.
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All in All, Clowney is now able to go and visit teams, so the aggressive Sean Payton may be tempted to attract the elite defensive playmaker and bring him on board to help get another Super Bowl trophy for New Orleans.