Cleveland Browns all but out of the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes

The Cleveland Browns appear out of the Jadeveon Clowney sweepstakes according to Allan Bell of CBS Sports Online

While not referred to by name, Allan Bell unofficially closes the door on the Cleveland Browns being involved in any last-minute negotiation to land defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. Clowney and the Browns had a sitcom-esque “will they/won’t they” all season on a level not seen since Ross and Rachel. The Browns reportedly gave Clowney the best one-year, two-year, and three-year deals he had received all season but Clowney did not sign.

Now according to Bell, it’s the Tennessee Titans, New Orleans Saints, and Baltimore Ravens who are the teams currently in the running that have the best chance to land the former No.1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft. He also reports that the Seattle Seahawks might still be in the mix but that’s not exactly the most stellar inclusion.

After half a year, it looks like the Browns are out. Hope rose up earlier on Saturday when news broke that Clowney fired his agent Bus Cook. A man he had fired and re-hired before. With Cook gone, some in Cleveland media assumed that the Browns were once again a name to watch out for, if not favor. That doesn’t appear to be the case.

The Browns have seemingly known they were out of the Clowney race for some time. The team restructured Olivier Vernon’s deal to keep him around and were involved mightily in the rumors to land former Jacksonville Jaguar, current Minnesota Viking, Yannick Ngakoue. That move obviously did not go the Browns way.

The Browns will now go into the season with Vernon, Myles Garrett, and Adrian Clayborn as your top pass rushers. This should worry some fans, as Garrett has never been great against the run, Vernon has dealt with injuries the last few years, and Clayborn was at best a backup when he was in his prime and now looking down 33 is even less likely to provide great support.