Nearly two months into free agency, the Eagles are reportedly one of a handful of teams still expressing interest in free agent pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
This report comes from Fox26’s Mark Berman in Houston, where Clowney has been working out.
According to Berman the five teams with interest in Clowney right now are the Seahawks, Browns, Ravens, Titans and Eagles.
While Clowney has never had a double-digit sack season, the 27-year-old former No. 1 overall pick has been a three-time Pro Bowler and is one of the most feared pass rushers in the NFL. Back at the start of free agency, Spotrac estimated his value at six years, $120 million ($20 million per season). It seems like Clowney hasn’t gotten close to that and is trying to wait out this process a little longer.
So what do we make of the Eagles’ reported interest?
Well, the Eagles are never shy about kicking tires and it would make sense if that’s what category this was in. Clowney plays a premium position — one where the Eagles need help — and it can’t hurt to check in and see how much that price tag has dropped.
ESPN’s Adam Schefter was on 97.5 The Fanatic this morning and also seemed to put it in that category.
Going into the draft, the Eagles had just over $27 million in cap space, so figure on less than that once they sign their picks. That seems like plenty to sign Clowney right now, but they’re projected to be over the cap in 2021, so carrying over this space is important.
But if they could get Clowney for the right price, he’d definitely help. After all, the Eagles bring back Derek Barnett and Brandon Graham as starters this year and then their top backup is Josh Sweat. It also seems possible the Eagles will bring back 32-year-old Vinny Curry but that hasn’t happened yet. After picking up Barnett’s fifth-year option, the Eagles have him and Graham under contract for 2021, but both are going to be expensive.
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There’s no question Clowney would make the Eagles better. And he can’t knock the Eagles’ quarterback out of the game if he’s on the same sideline.
In back-to-back seasons, Clowney has delivered huge hits to Eagles quarterbacks. He took a huge shot at Nick Foles in 2018 and in the playoff game in January, as a member of the Seahawks, he gave Carson Wentz the concussion that knocked him out of the game.
“I tried to tell them boys on my team, I said, ‘This team hates me. Their fans hate me for some reason,’” Clowney said about the Eagles in January. “They think I tried to kill Nick Foles. You remember that play? It was bang-bang. I didn’t take him to the ground, either.”
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