Report: Ravens made push to sign OLB Jadeveon Clowney
The Baltimore Ravens have quietly been working their magic on free-agent outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney. According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Ravens made a serious push to sign Clowney a few weeks ago.
Clowney has been getting courted by both the Tennessee Titans and New Orleans Saints rather publicly. It was expected the decision was really between those two teams, but with Baltimore now in the mix, things are getting interesting.
The Ravens could use someone of Clowney’s caliber at outside linebacker. Baltimore didn’t address the position this offseason, either in free agency or the 2020 NFL Draft. And after the struggles they had there last season, adding a Pro Bowl player opposite Matthew Judon could turn the Ravens’ defense from spectacular to a potentially historically great unit when combined with a revamped defensive line and well-stocked secondary.
Clowney has never been a sack machine throughout his career but he has been effective as an all-around outside linebacker. Over six years in the NFL, Clowney has 32 sacks, 71 tackles for a loss, 80 quarterback hits, eight forced fumbles, and eight fumble recoveries including three returned for touchdowns.
The big question now is just how much Clowney would cost and how long of a deal the Ravens are interested in giving him. Though Baltimore has an estimated $16.64 million in available cap space right now, according to Over The Cap, the salary cap is expected to actually lower next season. Top pass rushers are typically worth their weight in gold and a one-year deal would seem unfeasible for the Ravens to make work monetarily unless his expected price tag has fallen dramatically.
With Baltimore quietly courting Clowney, they might be hoping a Super Bowl-caliber roster is enticing enough.
