I’d rather go the “cheaper and younger” route..and I’m not sure why folks aren’t talking about it more.
Markus Golden would be the best choice, imo. Not to mention it would rob our rival, the NY Giants, of last years sack leader (10 sacks). That’s the equivalent of a double move.
Markus is a “Lunchpail” type DE. He’s not flashy, but just causes havoc for the OL, yet still is productive. Golden had some injuries a couple years back that slowed him down, but his sacks and QB pressures are comparable to Clowney’s. He wouldn’t be a progress stopper if Armstrong, Crawford, Anae, Smith, Gregory, or even Ron’Dell Carter started to show up. (That’s a lot of potential)
He’s great against the run and he abuses OL with his wreckless style of play. If he stays healthy, he easily could shore up the RDE position, exp on 1-2downs. Then throw in Gregory, Anae, or Smith as the pass rush specialists. His disruption at the POA, will allow Lawrence, LBs, and DT to get home if he couldn’t.
I don’t normally advocate wreckless players as a whole, but having 1-2 that just annoy the opponent is just fine.
Watch his film and tell me what you think. Side note: I know it’s a weird comparison, so don’t @ me.. but Markus reminds me of what Marion Barber would look like had he played defense. Like Barber, Golden would be a handful for opposing OL.