ARLINGTON, Texas – On the heels of one of the wildest victories in recent years, the Cowboys appear to be adding some much-needed defensive help.
Owner/GM Jerry Jones told reporters on Sunday, following the 40-37 win over the Giants, the Cowboys signed defensive end Jadeveon Clowney during their Week 2 home opener at AT&T Stadium.
“He’s been an outstanding player, he’ll add some real depth,” Jones said of Clowney. “He’s very credible. He’ll help us.”
The Cowboys have yet to make the move official, considering they have a full 53-man roster. But adding Clowney would certainly be needed after the team gave up over 500 yards to the Giants.
Clowney, 32, arrived in Dallas Wednesday morning and now will prepare for his 12th NFL season. The former number one overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft out of South Carolina spent last season close to home with the Carolina Panthers.
Heading into the 2019 season, Clowney joined the Seattle Seahawks as now Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer was entering his second year with the team. Schottenheimer is a man built on relationships, and that was no different with Clowney when they crossed paths six years ago.
“Guy’s a really good football player. He’s missed playing the game a little bit, and the film obviously looks good. We’re always in the business of seeing what’s out there and keeping an eye on all good football players.” Schottenheimer said.
“I would say the personal relationship I have with him, the problems I know he can create both in the run and the pass is the main reason he’s here.”
From the front office’s perspective, Cowboys COO/co-owner Stephen Jones still thinks that Clowney looks like he could be a first-overall pick again at 32 years old. With Micah Parsons being traded to Green Bay, Dallas sees Clowney as a veteran that can help out some of their younger players at defensive end.
“After losing Micah [Parsons] on the edge and certainly getting a great piece in Kenny Clark in the middle, we did want to try and shore up the outside again,” Jones said. “We’re looking at Jadeveon as somebody who could do that. He’s disruptive, he does have production getting the passer, and think he’s a guy who can come in here and do some good for us.”
Last year, Clowney would go on to start 14 games for the Panthers and logged 46 tackles, 5.5 sacks, 11 tackles for loss and four pass deflections.
Over the course of his previous 11 seasons, Clowney has played for six different NFL franchises. His career started with the Texans, where he played five season and earned all three of his Pro Bowls in consecutive years between 2016 and 2018. While in Houston, Clowney 29 sacks and 64 tackles for loss.
In the following six years, Clowney suited up for the Seahawks, Titans, Browns, Ravens and Panthers. In his lone season with the Ravens just two years ago, Clowney tied his career high in sacks with 9.5 over the course of 17 games in Baltimore.
After a three-year career at South Carolina, Clowney was one of the most intriguing and high-profile draft prospects in recent history. He was a consensus number one prospect coming out of high school, and that remained the same in the 2014 draft cycle after being an All-American his sophomore year of college and facing double and triple teams for the majority of his senior year.
While in Columbia, Clowney was coached by Steve Spurrier, who also coached Schottenheimer during his college days at Florida 15 years earlier. In September of 2022, Clowney’s #7 jersey would be retired by the Gamecocks.
Despite solid numbers in sack production throughout his NFL career, Clowney is widely regarded as a strong run defender on the edge. At 6’5, 266 pounds, his length and athleticism has helped him seal outside running lanes over the course of his career. With a strong commitment to stopping the run in 2025, Clowney fits the exact mold Dallas was looking for, and should be a boost to a pass rush that has struggled at times through two games of the 2025 NFL season.
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