The NFL Draft is over, but rumors about the Eagles adding a difference-maker to their defense are still swirling.
The latest name is Jadeveon Clowney, the controversial pass-rusher best known in Philadelphia for prematurely ending Carson Wentz's season this past January. The Eagles are rumored to be interested in Clowney's services, and while it's not clear how serious their interest is, or what the chances are of signing the 27-year-old, the topic has gripped Birds fans... and, it seems, players.
Lane Johnson brought up the Clowney rumors on the latest episode of his new Outside The Lane podcast, in a conversation with former Eagle and Super Bowl champion Chris Long.
The two discussed plenty of stories from their 2017 and 2018 seasons together, but the topic eventually turned to discussing current players, and Johnson - not Long - initiated a quick chat about the former Seattle Seahawk:
LANE: There's some rumors in the pass rush world about a free agent maybe, possibly, coming into town.
LONG: Oh yeah, Clowney. Yeah, I like Clowney, man. I really do. I know that, like, the whole thing last year happened and you guys didn't retaliate.
LANE: What can you do?
LONG: You can try to block him harder, I guess.
LANE: He's like trying to block a running iguana on water, son. He gets low, and then them arms and legs just...
LONG: [Laughs]
It's a brief back-and-forth, but there's a lot to break down.
For one, Johnson bringing up the rumors is unsurprising, but still intriguing. He always speaks his mind, but the fact that he'd bring up such a hot-button rumor in a public forum sure makes me wonder if he knows anything about ongoing discussions.
NFL
Long saying he likes Clowney is interesting, both because Long's opinion still carries weight in Philadelphia, and because he seems to be a pretty good judge of character. Clowney has had a tumultuous time in the NFL, and Eagles fans are probably wary of bringing in someone who might be a distraction, so Long signing off on the guy is certainly noteworthy.
And then, of course, we need to talk about Johnson's evaluation of Clowney as a player. "A running iguana on water" is just about the most country scouting report I've ever heard. Johnson is something else.
As far as what Wentz, the recipient of that controversial hit, thinks of a possible Clowney deal, he addressed the topic late last week:
At the end of the day, I’ll trust Howie with that. That play happened, it is what it is. That’s football. It was an unfortunate way to end end season for me personally, but I have respect for Jadeveon, he’s a heck of a player.
I don’t think he had any ill will with that hit. That’s part of football. But he’s a heck of a player, so I trust Howie to make the right decisions to make our team the best we can be.
It's sounding more and more like Eagles players have moved on from the hit, and just want to win in 2020.
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