Could Jadeveon Clowney’s homecoming be cut short?
Dianna Russini, senior NFL insider for The Athletic, emptied out her latest set of notes from across the league on Saturday morning. With the trade deadline less than two weeks away, Russini focuses in on a handful of pass rushers who could possibly be on the move—including the top outside linebacker for the Carolina Panthers.
She writes:
You can add the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby and the Browns’ Myles Garrett to the list of “every team wants them but they aren’t for sale.” I do expect teams to still ask the Raiders and Browns, but based on my conversations with sources from both teams, those two are too valuable to sell off.
Speaking of pass rushers, I expect the Panthers’ Jadeveon Clowney, the Packers’ Preston Smith and a different Browns vet, Za’Darius Smith, to draw some interest before the deadline.
Clowney—a Rock Hill, S.C. native and a University of South Carolina great—signed a two-year, $20 million deal with the Panthers this past offseason. With a shoulder injury keeping him out of the last two contests, the 31-year-old has appeared in five games for Carolina thus far—amassing 12 combined tackles and a sack.
While it may be in the best interest of the 1-6 Panthers to sell off valuable veterans for future assets, the defense has little to no pass rush to speak of—and that’s with the three-time Pro Bowler. Outside of Clowney, the team is carrying three outside ‘backers on their active roster—Charles Harris, Thomas Incoom and DJ Johnson.
Carolina’s seven sacks currently rank 31st in the NFL.
