The Dallas Cowboys have the Green Bay Packers coming into town for a Week 4 showdown on Sunday Night Football.
It looks like Jadeveon Clowney will be making his debut in this contest, but that wasn't what he expected. But he has handled that situation with class and is ready to step out on the field on Sunday night.
In an article written by Joseph Hoyt of the Dallas Morning News, Clowney expressed that he believed he would have made his debut last week against the Bears, but is ready to show out on primetime.
"I was looking forward to it. [Coaches] told me I had a chance. I got excited. And then he downed me. I said, ‘God, I could’ve helped,’ but I’ll get my chance this week.”
Jadeveon Clowney Ready to Step on Field in Week 4
Clowney was ready to step on the field against the Bears, but the team wanted to give him an extra week to ramp up and get acclimated to his new team.
While that was management's decision, Clowney's presence could have been used in the loss to the Bears. Dallas finished with zero sacks on Caleb Williams, as he threw for 298 passing yards and four touchdowns.
Nonetheless, Dallas seems ready to unleash Clowney in a massive game against Green Bay. Although head coach Brian Schottenheimer hasn't put an exact timeline on when Clowney will make his debut, he said that Clowney is "trending" towards playing on Sunday.
Dallas needs all the help it can get on the defensive side. Its defense is 27th in the NFL in points allowed (30.7). They’re last in the NFL in third-down conversions allowed. The Cowboys are also 29th in team sacks (4).
Over 11 seasons in the NFL, the South Carolina product has supplied 409 total tackles, 108 TFLs, 139 QB hits, and 58 sacks.
Last season with the Carolina Panthers, he had 46 total tackles and 5.5 sacks. According to PFF, Clowney had a 70.8 overall grade (47th among 210 graded edge defenders), 73.2 pass-rush grade (30th among 210 graded edge defenders), and a 63.4 run-defense grade (844th among 210 graded edge defenders). In addition, he was able to log 44 total pressures and 33 hurries.
Clowney will likely see his snaps increase week over week, but it appears that the Week 4 showdown against Green Bay will be his debut game. And even though he was ready to play last week, he handled the situation with the utmost class.