Houston Texans Rumors: Jadeveon Clowney likely to get franchise tagged

The Houston Texans reportedly are not looking to get a long-term deal done quickly for free agent Jadeveon Clowney. Will he get franchise tagged? Look.

Houston Texans fans — the rumor mill has started and the first one is centered around the team’s most important free agent this off season in edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney. There are so many scenarios that could be undertaken to deal with his contract situation but with the latest that has been reported, the team is going to take a cautious, yet deliberate approach.

Peter King of NBC Sports reported this within his Football Morning in America column and said that the team might be “less inclined” to get a pact signed now but the possibility exists for later down the road.

King indicates that Clowney isn’t the “worker bee” the other members of the defense are and the franchise wants to see how he “reacts to making more than $1 million per game.”

If this notion turns out to be true, this is exactly how I want the Houston Texans to proceed with Clowney. I’ve been proposing this for quite some time and it’s possible that it’s going to be a reality.

Yes, if the decision is made, it’s going to ruffle Clowney’s feathers and he’s likely going to sit out training camp in protest. Nonetheless, it ultimately puts to pressure on him to ensure that he is able to live up to expectations of commanding a lion’s share of the team’s salary expenses.

So how is Clowney stacking up to his fellow counterparts in the NFL? Let’s take a look.

According to Pro Football Focus (subscription required), Clowney is ranked 4th among edge rushers with at least 818 snaps with an overall defensive grade of a near-perfect 89.5. His ranking bumps up to 2nd among edge guys with at least 511 snaps.

Clowney (compared to players with at least 511 snaps) also scored a 91.8 in run defense (2nd), 87.1 in coverage (3rd), but yielded a 79.7 pass rush grade (14th) and a 59.6 in tackling (25th).

The latter two grades definitely exclaim that he has not wielded the power of the pass rush that the team had expected when the drafted him in 2014.

And how about the penalties? We saw too much of it this season whether it was roughing the passer, unsportsmanlike conduct, illegal hits or even the dreaded false start that cost the Houston Texans some precious yards. We can look no further than back to their Week 16 match up against the Philadelphia Eagles in regard to that.

In fact, PFF indicates that 2018 was his most penalized season on record with 14 of those to his credit. This tops 2017 (12) and 2016 (10) which is certainly something that is trending in the wrong direction.

And it’s also notwithstanding of Clowney’s Week 2 “injury” absence against the Tennessee Titans

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to which he cost the team a penalty for talking trash to Luke Stocker on the sidelines in street clothes in a tightly-wound divisional match up on the road.

One can could make a case that the 15-yard penalty that he accumulated set the stage for the Titans to edge out the the Houston Texans 20-17. With 13:25 left in the 4th, it was 1st-and-10 on the Tennessee 25 and after Stocker’s 11-yard catch coupled with the penalty, it put the Titans on the Texans 49-yard line.

Six plays later, the Titans got in position for Ryan Succop to nail a 42-yard field goal and the game being tied at 17-all. The Texans never recovered from that and Succop eventually kicked a 31-yarder with 6:41 left to win the game.

It’s stuff like this that complicates contract negotiations and it’s a huge reason as to why Brian Gaine hasn’t proceeded to open Cal McNair’s vault of cash for Clowney’s liking.

All in all, I think taking a “wait-and-see” approach is financially prudent and it will allow the team to look under the hood one more time before making a decision on him. The franchise tag gets more expensive with each year that they use it so something will have to be done soon.

Clowney’s tag would be an estimated $15.8 million for 2019 since they list him as a linebacker — not a defensive end — and the Houston Texans have until Tuesday, March 5 at 3 p.m. to determine whether he’ll be tagged or not.

Let’s keep a keen eye out!

Next. Texans should consider trading Whitney Mercilus. dark

Clowney, 26, amassed 47 combined tackles — 38 solo — along with 9.0 sacks, 16 tackles-for-loss, 21 quarterback hits, three fumble recoveries, one forced fumble, one pass defended and one defensive touchdown in 15 games last season — 14 starts for the Texans.

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