There has been some hope that the Baltimore Ravens can get former edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney back in 2026 to help a defense that seems just a few players away from being truly elite.
According to ESPN’s Matt Bowen, the “Best Fit” for Clowney after spending 2025 with the Dallas Cowboys would be to stay in the NFC and sign with the Detroit Lions.
“Detroit drafted edge rusher Derrick Moore in the second round to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson on pass-rushing downs, but Clowney would provide more depth up front,” Bowen wrote. “He had 8.5 sacks and 32 pressures last season in 13 games for the Cowboys, winning late in the down to get to the quarterback. Clowney would provide rotational value for coordinator Kelvin Sheppard’s unit.”
Ravens fans hope he can provide value in Baltimore instead — something Clowney has expressed he might want to do as well.
Jadeveon Clowney ‘Open’ to Reuniting With Ravens
The Ravens already signed 1 elite edge rusher this offseason with NFL All-Pro Trey Hendrickson on a 4-year, $112 million free-agent contract.
Clowney might be the perfect complementary player to Hendrickson and 2nd-year edge rusher Mike Green after playing 1 season for the Ravens in 2023 — something he seems open to.
“(The Ravens) take pride in their defense,” Clowney told NFL reporter Aaron Wilson in April. “I enjoyed the locker room. The guys that was in the locker room was an extremely fun group of guys. A lot of leaders was on that team, a lot of guys that respect the game of football. They got a lot of good guys that I can relate to in that locker room. I’ll definitely be open to going back to Baltimore, playing with Lamar Jackson now. It was a great time for me.”
Clowney, 33 years old, had a career-high 9.5 sacks playing for the Ravens in 2023 under former defensive coordinator and current Seattle Seahawks head coach Mike Macdonald.
Jadeveon Clowney Played for Cowboys in 2025
The Dallas Cowboys brought Clowney in to try to fill the void left when they traded NFL All-Pro edge rusher Micah Parsons to the Green Bay Packers before the 2025 season.
Clowney showed he still has some tread left on the tires with his team-high 8.5 sacks in just 13 games after he signed a 1-year, $3.5 million contract on September 14.
Clowney, 32 years old, was the No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2014 NFL draft and eclipsed $100 million in career earnings in 2025.
He’s also on his seventh team in 8 seasons, but still producing at what should be considered an above-average level — he has 2 seasons of at least 9.0 sacks in the last 4 years and led the lowly Carolina Panthers with 6.0 sacks in 14 games in 2024.
“Clowney missed three games due to injury in 2024, which has been a consistent theme throughout his career,” Bleacher Report’s Matt Holder wrote. “He’s only played in a full season’s worth of games twice in 11 years. That, combined with being on the wrong side of 30 years old, is likely why the Panthers let him go during free agency and is part of the reason he’s still unsigned. But a team looking for help on the edge should at least give the veteran a call.”
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