The Baltimore Ravens signed Jadeveon Clowney in a move that was much more expected than it was surprising. The Ravens have Tyus Bowser on the PUP, and rookie Tavius Robinson appears to be coming along slowly, so it makes sense that they would add some talent and depth to the position. What are some important notes for Ravens fans to see about Clowney?
3. Jadeveon Clowney will be a role player for the Baltimore Ravens
Jadeveon Clowney may not have lived up to his number-one overall pick billing, but he has had a successful career. His prime run was from the 2016 through 2018 seasons. In those years, he played 82.7%, 87.4%, and 89.3% of his team's defensive snaps. In that run, he had 24.5 sacks and made three Pro Bowls, with one All-Pro nod.
The Clowney of the most recent four years is not quite the same. He has played 70.6%, 75.4%, 73.8%, and 63.4% of the snaps in that span. He has 14 sacks over that time as well. A lot of that has to do with injuries, but that is a part of the issue.
Still, at the same time, teams are not going to view him as a full-time player, even when he is healthy. He missed some games in his prime run; he just was getting so much work when he was healthy that his snaps were still closer to 90%.
He may play a full season for the Ravens, but he will not be anywhere close to 80% of the snaps. He will be down closer to 60-70%, which may help keep him on the field for more overall games. It also may be what leads to him producing a bit more.
With David Ojabo and Odafe Oweh in the mix the team just needs to work in Clowney when needed. That could be the best move for the Ravens and for Clowney.
2. Jadeveon Clowney still has talent
Jadeveon Clowney is not the prime player that he once was, but he definitely still has talent. Below you can see how he rates in pass run win rate as well as pass rush productivity. Both stats are from PFF.
Year | Win Rate | Pass Rush Productivity |
|---|---|---|
2014 | 5.4% | 1.6 |
2015 | 9.7% | 5.9 |
2016 | 10.6% | 6.2 |
2017 | 15% | 7.4 |
2018 | 13.9% | 6.2 |
2019 | 14.9% | 6.5 |
2020 | 12.4% | 5.4 |
2021 | 10.8% | 8.2 |
2022 | 11.3% | 5.6 |
We see that his peak run was really from 2017 through 2019. The 2016 season was definitely a season in which he took a step, but 2017 was the year that he was living up to this name, and 2018 was a continuation. The issue is that 2019 is when he missed the most time with an injury, and we see the results from 2020 through 2022.
The bad news is that we are unlikely to see the days of 2018 and 2019 again. However, the 2020 through 2022 is not that bad. As you see, his win rate is right in line with the 2016 season, when he was not elite but was still able to get after the passer.
The funny thing is that the most sacks of his past three years came on his lowest win rate. It always seems to balance out that way, but it does show that if Clowney continues to win at the same clip, he could finally average out to something like four sacks, which is about what he averages.
Clowney is not quite the run defender that he used to be, but he used to be one of the best in the NFL. Now, he is closer to the top 20 or 25. Still, if the Ravens can use him on a limited basis and avoid injuries, they can get high-quality snaps from time to time throughout the season.
1. The Baltimore Ravens will like the skill set of Jadeveon Clowney
One of the big reasons why the Baltimore Ravens wanted someone like Clowney is that he can move around the defensive line. He is not quite like Tyus Bowser when it comes to dropping into coverage, but Clowney is known for stunts, twists, and looping around the offensive line to hunt the quarterback.
Clowney has 5,037 snaps over his career. He has 557 snaps where he is either lined up inside over the interior lineman or he is standing up like a linebacker. A lot of that came back in his prime in 2018, and he was getting after it, especially with J.J. Watt, who can move up and down the defensive line.
Still, we know that some versatility has to be what replaces Tyus Bowser, and we know that Mike MacDonald wants to be creative with how he shows his looks. The way that Jadeveon Clowney plays is exactly what they are looking for, and the fit makes too much sense.