Houston Texans Rumors: Why Jadeveon Clowney should be tagged then traded
By T.A. Mock
Why Jadeveon Clowney deserves the franchise tag
A lot of people, including myself (twice), believed that extending Clowney would be a top priority this past offseason and even at the end of this season. However, I have since changed my mind and I do not think that the Houston Texans are looking to give the stud defender a lucrative extension, at least not yet.
We discussed Clowney’s injury history a little bit on the previous slide. While he hasn’t missed extensive time the past four years, the injuries are still really piling up. Of his four complete seasons, there has only been one where he didn’t have a surgery after the season.
Now, that’s not incredibly uncommon, having a surgery after the season is over, but the fact that it’s happened in three out of four opportunities is concerning. That’s also not including a hernia surgery in between college and the NFL as well.
It’s this injury history that is the beginnings of pause in terms of a long-term extension that is going to ex. pen. sive. 2017 saw him play all 16 games in the season and 2018 is looking like it might see him play in 15, barring another injury. So, those injury concerns are starting to abate but they’re not fully gone yet, especially considering he’s never fully participated in offseason activities.
More. Two factors that will ensure a first round bye in the playoffs. light
However, Clowney is too good to just let him walk into unrestricted free agency. The Houston Texans would be foolish to let him do that. So, throwing the franchise tag on Clowney seems extremely likely as it would give him a chance to continue to elevate his play and give the Texans a chance to ensure the long-term injury concerns are fully gone.
Tagging Clowney would also be pretty unprecedented as the Texans have only ever tagged one player, Dunta Robinson, before. But, with that being said, let’s take a look at why Clowney should be traded after he receives the franchise tag.
**Him being traded could also still be in play in the event of an extension as well though I still think an extension this offseason is less likely.**