How good can the Cleveland Browns new pass rush duo be?

Jadeveon Clowney is exactly what the Cleveland Browns needed to take their defensive line to the next level. 

The Cleveland Browns pass rush was average at best last season. Their rushing defense was just as ugly, due to a defensive line that lacked depth and consistency across the board. If Myles Garrett was neutralized by a double team, the play really had no chance. There’s no other way to put it, there was a scarcity of talent.

In a plethora of ways, the addition of Clowney may have been the best possible situation for the Browns defensive line. First, it’s taking away the constant double teams. Clowney is one of the few players that gets double-teamed more than Myles Garrett.

This forces the opposing offense to beg the question “Who on earth do we double team?” Giving Garrett more one-on-one battles should make his production and sack numbers to be bolstered. It would also give Clowney the chance to get those one-on-one battles as well. Just the presence of one another will improve the production of this new vaunted pass rush duo.

When you break it down this duo is even more imposing. Garrett, who is widely considered the best edge rusher in football, had himself a dominant year. He racked up 13 sacks and four forced fumbles, which were both enough for third in the league.

He was even in the front running for defensive player of the year before contracting COVID-19. Garrett was on a mission, and his mission is incomplete. When you pair this with Clowney, who has one of the highest pressure rates in football, you are going to get a load of vexed quarterbacks. If the pressures go up, the takeaways go up. The pure athleticism from this duo is simply too much to handle.

Not only will Clowney bring success due to his ability to get pressure, but he is in a unique “now or never” situation. Clowney has never fully lived up to his hype of being the number one overall pick, and he’s running out of time to do so. He was looking to prove himself in the last couple of years with the Seattle Seahawks and Tennessee Titans, but injuries and the team’s situations did not help in any way.

If he ever wants to prove he is worthy of a multi-year contract, now is the only time. He is now paired alongside an all-pro pass rusher, and has no excuses to not be his best football self.

If Garrett can pick up where he left off pre-COVID-19 we should see Clowney flourish and play confidently. With the rest of the defense’s concerns hopefully figured out, there’s no reason why these two should not be on top of the league.

They are one of the most talented and hungry pass rush duo’s in football and should be held to high expectations. Anything less than top five in the league in sacks and pressures would be a letdown.