Cleveland Browns: 3 early defensive training camp standouts in 2021
By Randy Gurzi
2. Jadeveon Clowney, Defensive End
Myles Garrett is constantly in the discussion for NFL Defensive Player of the Year. While he hasn’t brought it home yet, he has shown year after year that he has the talent to get it done — all he needs to do is put it all together for a full 16 games.
As great as he is, no defensive end can carry a defense by themselves. For the past couple of seasons, he has had Olivier Vernon helping across from him and Vernon just had his best season in several years in 2020. Unfortunately, he also tore his Achilles in Week 17 and that led to the Browns not re-signing him.
That means they needed another starting defensive end which is why they signed Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year deal. Clowney’s presence gives them two defensive ends who were taken No. 1 overall in their respective drafts. There’s plenty of excitement to see these two together and so far in camp, Clowney has been impressive with his athleticism and is making life tough on Cleveland’s impressive offensive line.
Jadeveon Clowney just blew past Jack Conklin in a 1 on 1 drill.#Browns
— Tom Withers (@twithersAP) August 2, 2021
In addition to Withers talking about Clowney blowing past one of the better right tackles in the game, Clowney has also been praised as someone who is helping Jedrick Wills mature in his second season in the league.
The only thing that has ever really stopped Clowney is injuries, which is still a concern especially after he missed eight games in 2020 for the Titans. Still, he’s incredibly disruptive and seems to be at 100 percent already for the Browns during training camp.