FRISCO, Texas — Micah Parsons out, Jadeveon Clowney in. Only 12 days after the ¶¶ÒõÊÓƵ traded the former to the Green Bay Packers in a package that included the acquisition of Kenny Clark, they dipped into NFL free agency to add one of the best available pass rushers in the NFL — the former first-overall pick signing with the club in Week 2.
Yes, in Week 2, and during their game against the New York Giants, no less.
They didn't wait until some point midway through the season, in the usual reactive fashion. They made the move in Week 2, and that's telling of the cultural shift in Dallas, and the fact they're not simply sitting on the existing $37.5 million in salary cap space.
Thus far, the start of the Brian Schottenheimer era has seen the Cowboys become proactive in most ways that are usually tied to a wait-and-see approach, e.g., the decision to trade for George Pickens over simply rolling with the current stable of receivers behind CeeDee Lamb, and trading for veteran cornerback Kaiir Elam with an eye on putting him on the field at the same time as All-Pro cornerbacks Trevon Diggs and DaRon Bland.
That marks not one, but two critical moves made proactively to resolve top positions of need — wide receiver and cornerback — and Clowney's signing adds defensive end to that tally.
But what exactly can Clowney do for the Cowboys at 32 years of age?
Answer: Plenty.
The first thing to note is there is familiarity at play here, Clowney having spent time with the Seahawks in 2019, when Schottenheimer was the offensive coordinator in Seattle, so it's no surprise to see mutual interest between the two in 2025.
Two years after his stretch in the Pacific Northwest, Clownery racked up nine sacks for the Cleveland Browns and, two years after that, he tied his career-best mark by producing 9.5 sacks for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023 … as a 30-year-old who has been in the league 11 seasons.
But wait, there's more.
Just last season, with the Carolina Panthers, he logged 14 starts and, in the process, added 11 quarterback hits, nine tackles for loss, 5.5 sacks and four pass break ups to his career totals in 611 total defensive plays — tied for the most sacks on the team and taking the crown for most TFLs and QB hits on the Panthers' defense — as a 31-year-old operating as a one-year rental, no less.
But wait, there's more more.
Clowney also led the entire Panthers' defense in pressures (43) and pressure rate (13.4%). For context, the only two Cowboys to generate more pressure than Clowney did in 2024 were Micah Parsons (74 pressures @ 19.1%) and Osa Odighizuwa (54 pressures @ 11.2%), and Parsons had roughly 40 more defensive snaps than did Clowney.
What about run defense, you say, considering the Cowboys are also trying to bolster that area after years of being run over, through and around by opponents? I'm so glad you asked.
You're smart. (Yes, I said that in DJ Khaled's voice.)
Clowney's six run stuffs for the Panthers were good enough to tie him for second-most in Carolina and matched Parsons' number in that category, again, on roughly 50 fewer defensive snaps, and were only two fewer than the eight run stuffs Odighizuwa provided for the Cowboys last season.
There's still enough tread on Clowney's tires to go mudding, if we're being honest.
He won't be expected to be an every down guy in Dallas, and that makes the signing that much more meaningful as it relates to his continued durability and in keeping him, and his teammates in Dallas, fresh over the course of four quarters and deep into the season. The expectation is he'll be a situational pass rusher, a role he could thrive in under defensive coordinator Matt Eberflus, also allowing Eberflus to throw waves of pass rushers at a quarterback.
The waves include Dante Fowler, Sam Williams, Marshawn Kneeland, James Houston and rookie talent Donovan Ezeiruaku, a group responsible for 11 quarterback pressures against the Eagles.
For those keeping count at home, including Clowney, that tallies to two former first-round picks (Clowney and Fowler) and three former-second rounders (Williams, Kneeland and Ezeiruaku) at the edge in Dallas, two playing at a high level entering 2025 and three having the potential to do special things once they get enough NFL reps under their belt.
As a related sidebar, I don't know that I'd expect Clowney to play against the New York Giants on Sunday at noon, but it's not impossible when considering Clark was on the field six days after his trade to Dallas, but the situations are different in that Clark was practicing all summer with the Packers while Clowney was a free agent.
Something to consider there.
There's plenty of promise in the young group of pass rushers behind Clowney and Fowler, evidenced by their ability to generate pressure on Jalen Hurts in the season opener, owning one of the best pressure rates in the league in Week 1, and that's the group the Cowboys just added a major weapon to — not one that's proven deficient in any way yet. But this feels like Dallas is taking a page from the Eagles in the approach to roster building, and that can only help the Cowboys get to where they're so desperate to go this postseason.
Bottom line stance on the Cowboys' new approach, and the decision to add Clowney?
More, always more.
