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Houston Texans: Jadeveon Clowney earns NFL Network’s Top 100 honors

By Brian K. Patterson

Nov 13, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Kelvin Beachum (68) defends Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) in the second half at EverBank Field. Houston Texans won 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports
Nov 13, 2016; Jacksonville, FL, USA; Jacksonville Jaguars tackle Kelvin Beachum (68) defends Houston Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney (90) in the second half at EverBank Field. Houston Texans won 24-21. Mandatory Credit: Logan Bowles-USA TODAY Sports /
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Earning recognition for the hard work that has been done is always something one can proud of and it certainly applies to the Houston Texans.

The Houston Texans surprised many by earning a playoff spot with a 9-7 record, despite not having defensive end megastar J.J. Watt on the the line for the majority of the season.   The old adage of the “next man up” certainly was the mantra for 2016 as the Houston Texans faced the odds head on and persevered.

And did they ever.  A.J. Bouye had the season of his career, allowing him to bolt and snag a multi-million contract from the Jacksonville Jaguars.  Benardrick McKinney continued to display his growth on the line and D.J. Reader proved that he was ready to take over the reins at nose tackle, should Vince Wilfork decide to hang it up, which is likely.

That’s just to name a few.  But the most notable of improvements was our own Jadeveon Clowney, who has transitioned to a linebacker role to more of a defensive end, allowing him to do what he does best — terrorize his defensive assignments.  I had always believed in JD but it was becoming more difficult to believe if he’d be healthy to last a season.

He certainly bucked that trend, going on to earn his first Pro-Bowl honors after recording 52 tackles, six sacks, 16 tackles-for-loss, 17 quarterback hits and one forced fumble.  I’d have to say that not having Watt on the line encouraged him to step things up but I think the line can be even more fierce when both will be complementing each other in 2017.

But back to that recognition thing.  For the first time in his career, Clowney has been named to the NFL’s Top 100 players list, being ranked No. 49.  Who is he sandwiched between?  Jordy Nelson is ranked 48th and Marcus Mariota is ranked 50th.  That’s pretty damn good company if you ask me.  As he career continues to flourish, I’d suspect that he’ll be ranked higher over time along the likes of Watt, who will likely be announced as a higher ranking over the next few weeks.

Next: Is Breno Giacomini the answer?

In my opinion, I think the NFL’s ranking of Clowney is fair and it’s a great start to a career that’s on the cusp being something special.  Will his numbers be at the level of last season’s? It’s possible but we’ll have to see how both Watt and Clowney play alongside each other.  There will be some instances where they’ll have to defer to each other because they’re so damn good.

But until then, sit back, relax and watch members of a likely No. 1 defense once again tear their opponents apart, one by one.

Congrats JD — no go crush it in 2017!

Go Texans.

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