The Cowboys are getting the tried and true, patented Jadeveon Clowney experience.
Clowney has been on 6 teams in 7 years, despite always playing pretty darn good. Here he is on Dallas, playing pretty darn good.
But this spring, when it comes time to pay him, we'll start making excuses. "We can find a guy with more pass rush upside." "We've got some young DEs who need snaps" So we'll let him walk. And come kickoff 2026, he'll sign a one-year deal with a new team and start playing "pretty darn good" for someone else.
Clowney's had a strange career, and it's difficult to put a "good" or "bad" label on it. Never lived up to #1 overall pick expectations, never had a 10-sack campaign, never got a contract extension longer than 2 years, started for 11 seasons, and always played better then average. He's been a really consistent run-stopping #2 end.
When you put it all together, his career looks a lot like DLaw's. I actually think Clowney's been underrated, and I lean to the "good" side for labeling him. I think if he was say the 10th pick in the 2014 draft, instead of the 1st, people would judge him a lot more fairly.