The Case for the Eagles to Sign Jadeveon Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney is arguably the cream of the defensive linemen free agency crop this offseason. The Seattle Seahawks have made it clear they want to keep the former No. 1 overall pick, but other teams will be in talks with Clowney for his services, who admitted he could be swayed if the right situation arises.
One team that should take a chance at signing Clowney is the Philadelphia Eagles, who could stand to improve their pass rush.
Howie Roseman is going to be aggressive in free agency, looking for young, impact players that can help this team for multiple seasons.
— Eliot Shorr-Parks (@EliotShorrParks) February 28, 2020
One player at a key position checks off all those boxes:https://t.co/bInJ2wEGI0
Philadelphia has over $40 million in cap space this offseason and could use an upgrade on the defensive line. Derek Barnett was drafted No. 14 overall back in 2017 and has not had a dominant start to his career.
Barnett had 6.5 sacks in 2019 and only 30 total tackles. The decision on his fifth-year option is approaching and adding Clowney could allow the Eagles to either move on or keep Barnett in more of a rotational role.
Negotiations are ongoing, but the NFL and NFLPA are projecting a salary cap of roughly $200 million per club for 2020. If new CBA is ratified, revenue would increase from expanded playoffs, which could cause the cap to rise somewhat. Bigger jumps expected in 2021 and beyond.
— Tom Pelissero (@TomPelissero) February 28, 2020
The Eagles can also use the looming new CBA to build a backloaded deal for Clowney. A much larger projected cap in 2021 allows teams to hand out major deals with the expectation of rising revenues. Outs can be placed in such a contract in case the projections turn out to be wrong.
There are not too many players on offense who can be cut to clear rosters spots due to cap hits. That makes the defense a priority and Clowney should be the obvious target. As long as Carson Wentz is fine with playing with the defender after last postseason's dirty hit.