5 Cleveland Browns who shouldn’t be re-signed after the 2022 season
By Chad Porto
Jadeveon Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney should refund the Cleveland Browns for the $10 million they gave him this year. While PFF says he had a “good” year with a rating of 75.8, the fact is that outside of two games, he’s been awful. The folks at PFF gave him a 90.1 against the Bengals in their second encounter and an 89.1 against the Jets.
Outside of those two games, he’s been horrid. Not only is he not generating a pass rush worth respecting, but he’s also bottomed out by only achieving two sacks. Not, Clowney was never a big pass-rusher in his career, with his best season seeing him achieve just nine and a half sacks. Since then, he’s truly fallen off.
He’s a good-run stopper still, and there is value in that, especially with how bad Myles Garrett is in that area. Just not at $10, or even $5 million per year. As mentioned with Hubbard, with Amari Cooper and Deshaun Watson’s contracts maturating into their most expensive parts, every dollar the Browns can save matters.
The Browns can find a defensive end who can play the run and achieve two sacks per year at an 11th of the price of Clowney. As with Hubbard, if Clowney wants to return on a veteran’s minimum, sure, bring him back but that’s the only way.