Surely and slowly, Jerry Jones has done a great job bolstering his terrible defense in 2025. The pickups of Rashan Gary, Jaishawn Barham, Malachi Lawrence and Caleb Downs will instantly boost the defense back to relevance. But there's one free agent edge rusher they should have on their radar, and he's a familiar face waiting for a call.
Edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney was one of the silent heroes of the defense last season. While we didn't see many wins with this defense last year, Clowney was one of the lone bright spots. In his 12th season, Clowney finished with 41 total tackles and 8.5 sacks (team high), and has every reason to come back.
Moe Moton from Bleacher Report listed Clowney as one of the best remaining free agents on the market. With Gary's signing, Clowney's future is up in the air. But Moton's analysis of Clowney has Dallas written all over it.
"Over the last four years, Clowney has bounced around the league, playing for four different teams, though he can be one of the final pieces to a championship-level defense. If Clowney avoids injury, he can play more than 50 percent of the snaps on even and odd-man fronts. The 12-year veteran may be the highest earner among available free agents."
Jadeveon Clowney has every reason to come back to the Cowboys
Moton's analysis speaks directly to defensive coordinator Christian Parker. Parker will run odd-man fronts starting with 3-4. Parker will also mix in 4-3 and 4-2-5, but either way, Clowney fits this defense perfectly.
We also don't need to worry about Marist Liufau and Sam Williams on the field as much if Clowney suits up for Dallas next year, and he's the perfect veteran piece that the team needs. Even Moton is right on target when he says that he can be the final piece to a championship-level defense.
Obviously, Parker has a lot of work to do for his team even to become an average defense, but Clowney would be an instant Week 1 starter if he comes back. The defense, as it stands now, can get to the No. 18 defense in the league, but with Clowney, the chances of the group being ranked higher than that grow exponentially with Clowney in the lineup.
From a financial standpoint, it makes sense too. According to Spotrac, the veteran from South Carolina has a market value of $5.7 million. We've heard Jones say he's been in favor of "busting the budget," but in this case, he doesn't have to. He can bring back a familiar face who's even on record saying he doesn't care about the money. He loves playing football.
A rare veteran attitude like that is what fans love to hear, and bringing Clowney back for a short-term contract would be a steal for Jones and Co.
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