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Jadeveon Clowney has until Monday to sign a new multi-year deal with the Houston Texans, lest he play the 2019 season on the franchise tag. Whether he gets a new, market-value contract from the Texans, spends one final year in Houston before leaving in free agency next spring, or perhaps is traded to another team before the regular season, the extra work he's putting in now is bound to pay off.
Clowney was one of several NFL players who participated in future Hall of Famer Julius Peppers' inaugural pass-rushing camp in Miami earlier this week. Chuck Smith, an All-Pro at defensive end with the Atlanta Falcons in 1997 who served as one of the camp's coaches, left the event raving about Clowney's desire to improve.
“I thought JD was a humble guy who is really open to learning new stuff,” Smith said, per Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle. “He really wants to be great and improve his pass-rush technique. He's a really good person and he deserves the success because he's putting in the work. I think he's going to have a good year. He has added some signature pass rushing moves.”
The former No. 1 overall pick enjoyed perhaps the best season of his career in 2018, finishing with 47 tackles, 16 tackles for loss, nine sacks, 21 quarterback hits, and three fumble recoveries, earning a Pro Bowl nod for the third consecutive season. Clowney was ranked as the league's 32nd-best player by his peers before last season, indicative of both the 26-year-old's current level of play and his potential to move even higher up the list going forward.
