Houston Texans should trade Jadeveon Clowney to the Eagles

Trade talks are starting to heat up for Houston Texans linebacker Jadeveon Clowney with multiple teams. He should go to the Eagles. Why? Let’s look.

The Houston Texans will be closing out the preseason tonight against the Los Angeles Rams at NRG Stadium this evening and this will be the final exhibition of those guys that are trying their earnest to make the 53-man roster.

It won’t be easy but there are some gems on the undrafted side that have an excellent shot of making the team.  Karan Higdon, Damarea Crockett as well as Jerell Adams are some of the guys that are flashing to a point to where they should have a roster spot.  It’s ultimately up to Bill O’Brien on who ultimately makes the team but it will be interesting to see how this heated competition pans out.

There will be a lot of fans that will write this game off because we will see little to none of the stars of this team within this game but I like the last game of the preseason because of those individuals making a last stand to be a member of the Houston Texans.  It will be great to watch this evening and kickoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. CDT on KTRK Channel 13.

Well, while that’s going on, the Houston Texans are trying to figure out what to do with Jadeveon Clowney, who still has yet to report to the team for this season.

The Houston Texans are talking to at least five teams to try to get a deal done to trade the No. 1 pick of the 2014 draft to a destination of their choice.

Which teams are the Houston Texans talking to?  They’re reportedly speaking with the Miami Dolphins, New York Jets, Washington Redskins, Seattle Seahawks and Philadelphia Eagles.

All of these teams have sizable assets that the team can get in return but which team would be the best trade partner?

It’s definitely the Eagles.  They have a ton of talent at a position that the Houston Texans badly need to fill at and that’s at left tackle.  Although Roderick Johnson and Matt Kalil are the favorites to be playing the position this season, if a trade is made with the Eagles, the team can seriously make an upgrade at that position quite quickly.

Lane Johnson would be a dream to snatch up but he primarily is a right tackle but the team would be swapping one premium player for another and I’d even attach a future fourth-round pick to get the deal across the finish line.  Johnson is currently on a five-year, $56.3 million deal that will pay him $805K in base salary this season, $6.2M in 2020 and $8.3M in 2021.  That’s still quite a bargain for the 29-year-old veteran considering what they’d have to pay Clowney off a long-term deal.

The Eagles also have Andre Dillard, the tackle out of Washington State that I wanted in the first place in this past draft but they traded up before the Texans to snatch him out of their hands, forcing them to select the talented Tytus Howard out of Alabama State.

Dillard has looked terrific this preseason so I’d think the Eagles would be leery about trading him so they’d have a better shot at Johnson.

Pro Football Focus has given Dillard an 83.8 pass block grade this preseason which ranks him 9th among tackles.  His 78.8 run block grade is ranked 16th and his 73.2 overall offensive grade is 22nd at his position.

Matt Hammond has mentioned that the Houston Texans should give up a first-rounder for Dillard but I think they could get by with a second in this deal.  If they dangle a first, they can even throw in 37-year-old Jason Peters — who will make $6M this season — into the fold as well.  It’s just that his shelf life is limited and I’d imagine the Texans want a guy that would have longevity like Dillard.

A deal with the Redskins is all but dead as they aren’t willing to give up Trent Williams which would be a crucial piece to a potential deal to ship Clowney out.

The Dolphins are in the mix as Clowney has met with general manager Chris Grier and head coach Brian Flores as of late, they believe that are the favorites.  I don’t see any reason why Laremy Tunsil shouldn’t be in the conversation, he’s a terrific offensive lineman — and will be for years to come — and that man should be coming back in exchange for Clowney.

The Houston Texans are already preparing for trade as they gave linebacker Brennan Scarlett — his primary backup — a one-year, $3.75 million extension yesterday so something could be imminent shortly for this team.

Clowney has yet to sign tender for his $15.9M franchise tag contract which would have to happen in order for a trade to go down.  He also fired Bus Cook, his long-time agent and is apparently representing himself at the moment.

He’s holding the Texans hostage so it’s likely that he’s going to be able to pick his destination, a rarity in trades within professional sports.  He’s also prepared to miss regular-season games for his cause which exudes his confidence that what he loses as far as game checks will be earned back in a new deal with a new team after this season.

He’s rumored to want to be traded to either the Seahawks or the Eagles so if it’s Philadelphia, it’s time for Bill O’Brien to get Howie Roseman on the phone to see what it take to pry away one of their tackles.

What’s going to happen?  Although I’d love for Clowney be here this season, if he’s unhappy, it’s best that they ship him for immediate help on the offensive line.

Let’s hope for the best.

Clowney had 47 combined tackles — 38 solos — along with 16 tackles-for-loss, 9.0 sacks, 21 quarterback hits, three fumble recoveries, one pass defended as well as a forced fumble and a defensive touchdown last season.

For more grades, advanced statistics and more at Pro Football Focus, subscribe to PFF’s EDGE and ELITE subscriptions at ProFootballFocus.com.