After their thrilling overtime win over the New York Giants on Sunday, the Dallas Cowboys made a significant move to bolster their defense, signing veteran pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney.
The Cowboys hope that Clowney can somewhat fill the void left by Micah Parsons, as Dallas’ defense got shredded by Russell Wilson and the Giants. That said, Clowney is excited to be a Cowboy, and as his agent puts it, Dallas was his “priority” immediately after the Carolina Panthers released him.
“Playing for the Dallas Cowboys was the priority Day 1 upon his release from the Panthers. He had other opportunities that he just wasn’t moved by. Besides, I wanted him to get Jerry’s explanation of the glory hole as opposed to mine,” Kennard McGuire said to ESPN’s Todd Archer.
Jadeveon Clowney Is Already Scheduled to Make Cowboys’ Debut
It’s interesting to hear Clowney’s agent say this because a couple of days ago, it wasn’t clear that the veteran edge rusher was going to come to Dallas. He had left the facility without a deal, but Cowboys head coach Brian Schottenheimer hinted at a possible agreement on Friday when he met with reporters.
With Clowney now in the fold, the next question to be answered is when he is going to play. The veteran pass rusher told reporters on Monday that he expects to play on Sunday against the Chicago Bears, per Jon Machota of The Athletic.
If you’re on the Cowboys’ defensive coaching staff, having Clowney get his first reps against the 0-2 Bears isn’t a bad idea.
Bears QB Caleb Williams has been sacked six times in two games, including four times in Week 2 against the Detroit Lions. And the Lions’ defensive line doesn’t have overwhelming talent on the defensive line.
Therefore, one would think that Dallas’ D-line should have a much better performance, as Matt Eberflus is already on the hot seat. The idea of Kenny Clark and Clowney applying pressure at the point of attack should hopefully help the secondary.
In fact, Clowney told reporters on Monday that Clark played a big role in his decision to sign with the Cowboys, per Patrik Walker of DallasCowboys.com.
"As soon as Kenny Clark signed here, Clowney began explaining. I told my agent, 'I think that will be a good move for me. They've got a good secondary, and they've got good [defensive] tackles. They just need [me]. Yeah, I need to be there, so see if you can make the call and make something happen to get me in Dallas.'New Cowboys pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney
And I'm here"
After getting the boot from the Panthers, Clowney is saying all the right things. Let’s see if he still has some juice left in the tank and help get this defense on track.