NASHVILLE, Tenn — The Titans have added a big piece to their defense, and he's a player fans are very familiar with – defensive end/outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney.
On Sunday, the team and the former Seahawks and Texans pass rusher officially agreed to terms on a one-year contract.
Clowney has been on the wish list for Titans fans ever since Titans General Manager Jon Robinson indicated the team had interest in the three-time Pro Bowler back in April.
In Tennessee, Clowney will be reunited with Titans Coach Mike Vrabel, who served as an assistant with the Texans prior to joining the Titans.
Clowney played his first five NFL seasons with the Texans before being traded to Seattle prior to the 2019 season.
Clowney, 27, has 32 sacks in six NFL seasons, including three sacks in 13 games last season. He added 1.5 sacks in Seattle's two playoff games.
But Clowney isn't just a pass rusher – he's a disruptive player vs the run as well.
Over the past four seasons (since 2016), Clowney is one of only three NFL players with at least 60 tackles for loss, eight forced fumbles and 150 quarterback pressures, per Sportradar. The others on the list are Aaron Donald and Chandler Jones. He ranks fourth in the NFL over those four seasons in tackles for loss with 60.
Vrabel coached Clowney when he worked as an assistant with the Texans, where Clowney was a three-time Pro Bowler. Clowney posted career-highs in sacks (9.5), tackles for loss (21) and quarterback hits (21) during the 2017 season, when Vrabel served as Houston's defensive coordinator.
"When I coached J.D., J.D. was prepared," Vrabel said earlier this offseason. "We did a lot with him and put him in a lot of different places to try and have him help us affect the game. And he played extremely hard. … We asked him to do a lot, and he did do a lot for us. I never had an issue with J.D.'s effort on the field."
Clowney was drafted first overall by the Texans in the 2014 NFL Draft after starring at South Carolina, where he was a two-time All-America and first-team All-SEC performer. Clowney was the 2012 SEC Defensive Player of the Year after tallying 13 sacks.
In the NFL, in addition to his 32 career sacks, Clowney has also recorded 236 tackles, nine forced fumbles, seven fumble recoveries, 51 tackles for a loss, 14 pass deflections, one interception and four defensive touchdowns.
Per ESPN, Clowney's four defensive touchdowns over the last three seasons is third most in the NFL over that span and the most among defensive linemen.
In 2017, he was one of only two NFL players (Chandler Jones, Arizona) to register 20 or more tackles for loss and 20 or more quarterback hits.
Clowney joins a Titans pass rush that was bolstered back in March with the addition of veteran edge rusher Vic Beasley, a first-round pick (8th overall) of the Atlanta Falcons in the 2015 NFL Draft, who has 37.5 career sacks. Beasley was taken off the team's Non-Football Injury list over the weekend and added to the active roster.
The Titans also re-signed edge rusher Kamalei Correa earlier this offseason. Correa recorded sacks in six of the team's last eight games during the 2019 season.
Harold Landry, selected in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, is also back for his third NFL season after leading the Titans with nine sacks during the 2019 regular season. Landry added another sack during the postseason a year ago. Second-year linebacker Derick Roberson, who flashed during his rookie season, also returns.
The Titans kick off the 2020 season next Monday night in Denver.
