It had previously been reported that two of Jadeveon Clowney’s preferred destinations were Seattle and Philly.
Clowney will get his wish.
Eagles fans won’t.
Scoopage: SEA & HOU have agreed to trade parameters re: Jadeveon Clowney contingent upon Clowney & other players involved passing physicals. Still lot of moving parts but believed Clowney, who rejected going to Miami at first, is headed for his physical with Hawks. @NFLONFOX
Seahawks are sending a third-round pick and two players to Texans in exchange for Jadeveon Clowney, according to sources
It looks like we’re just a few physicals away from this story having an ending. Seattle always seemed to make the most sense for Clowney. Sorry, Eagles fans.
NFL
We already talked about the pros and cons of trading for Clowney from an Eagles perspective and there were points on both sides. Maybe Howie Roseman saw too many cons on that list to feel comfortable trading assets to bring in Clowney for one year. at $16 million Or maybe the Seahawks just jumped first.
The important thing to remember about this whole situation was that Clowney basically had veto power because he hasn’t yet signed his franchise tag. Because Seattle is one of his preferred destinations, he obviously wouldn’t veto a trade there.
Since entering the league as the No. 1 pick back in the 2014 NFL Draft out of South Carolina, Clowney has slowly turned into one of the best defensive linemen in football. After a slow start thanks to a microfracture surgery as a rookie, Clowney has had 18 1/2 sacks over his last two years. Even after making the Pro Bowl in each of the last three seasons, Clowney still hasn’t lived up to his incredibly high potential.
While the Eagles seemingly had the ammo to pull off a trade for Clowney, there were some significant hurdles too. Among them was the fact that they wouldn’t have been able to negotiate a long-term deal with Clowney until after the season. Presumably, if you trade for a guy like that, you’d want to sign him to a big deal.
And then there are always the questions about how a prospective player would fit into the locker room culture. The Eagles brought in Michael Bennett last year and he apparently wore out his welcome after one season.
Without Clowney, the Eagles in 2019 will rely on the group of defensive ends they have, which means starting Brandon Graham and Derek Barnett. Both players began last season as starters too, but Barnett’s season came to an end early because of a torn rotator cuff. There will be high expectations this year for the former first-round pick.
The Eagles do lack some depth at defensive end, but because of the addition of DT Malik Jackson, their need for defensive end depth has been minimized. Jackson will presumably be on the field as a third-down pass rusher. In recent years, a DE would slide inside, creating opportunity for a backup that no longer exists.
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