Baltimore Ravens linebacker Jadeveon Clowney is set to face his former team this weekend for the first time since joining the Ravens. Clowney spent both the 2021 and 2022 seasons playing for the Cleveland Browns, but does not see this anything special about this matchup aside from the Browns being a divisional rival.
Though Clowney says this is just another divisional game, he did face some tension with the Browns toward the end of his tenure in Cleveland. Late in the 2022 season, the former No. 1 overall pick in 2014 made brutal comments about not playing enough and was inactive for the final game of the season. The Browns then released him in March, and he signed with the Ravens in August.
Prior to the Ravens-Browns game, Clowney said, “I'm not going to sum up nothing that happened there, with no teammates, no coaching staff, nothing. It was locker room talk that got out. I'm on to a new year right now. I don't care about what happened last year. I'm playing for the Baltimore Ravens now,” via the NFL's Nick Shook.
“I don't think I need any extra motivation. It's a division game. I have a lot of respect for a lot of guys over there, a lot of friends over there, good teammates I played with for two years. I wish them the best, but not against us.”
Whether or not there's any “bad blood” between Jadeveon Clowney and the Browns, this is still an important game for the Ravens. Both the Ravens and Browns are 2-1 in what is expected to be one of the most competitive divisions this season. Whoever wins this contest will likely take the lead in the AFC North after this weekend.