Titans Know Clowney as a 'Game-Wrecker'

Free agent defensive end has a history of making things difficult for opposing offenses.

NASHVILLE – The first time Jadeveon Clowney sets foot in a Tennessee Titans meeting room will be a big deal.

After all, his name has been mentioned in those same rooms for years.

“I remember, just my first couple years in the league, when we had coach Mike Mularkey here, we used to always have these ‘game-wreckers’ that they used to always put up on the board for every single game,” safety Kevin Byard said Monday. “Every time we played Houston he was the number-one game-wrecker. So, I kind of view him as a guy who can wreck a whole, entire game plan.

“He’s going to be a guy that teams are going to have to game-plan for every single game. … He’s going to be a great addition to our defense.”

Clowney was the first overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft and in three of his six seasons he has been part of defenses that have finished among the NFL’s top five in takeaways. During his rookie season, the Houston Texans led the league with 34 and in 2018 they finished fourth with 29. Last season with Seattle, he was part of a unit that finished third with 32 takeaways.

The Titans, who agreed to contract terms with the high-profile free agent Sunday, have not finished with more than 23 takeaways over the past six seasons and the last time they had 30 or more was 2008, which also was the last time they finished first in the AFC South.

Clowney has forced at least one fumble each of the last five seasons and in 2019 he set a career-high with four, which tied him for fifth in the NFL. He has recovered multiple fumbles and returned one for a touchdown each of the last three years.

Additionally, he recorded his first career interception during his one season with the Seahawks.

“Just from like watching him in games, he’s pretty disruptive,” outside linebacker Harold Landry said last week.

Coach Mike Vrabel has seen it all in person. As defensive coordinator for the Texans in 2017, Vrabel was the one who sought ways to take advantage of Clowney’s disruptiveness. Before that, he was a position coach in Houston, where he worked with several coaches who are now his assistants with the Titans.

With Vrabel as his coordinator and the Texans’ defense beset by injuries, Clowney lined up at numerous positions that season, which creates a wealth of possibilities for what he will do in Tennessee.

“We’re familiar with (Clowney’s) skillset, and where he’s potentially going to fit [with Tennessee] is going to depend on how much he can handle,” Vrabel said. “… I think there’s a lot of carryover. There’s stuff that we’ve added since any of us have been in Houston.

“… We’re just trying to add the right pieces, the guys that love football and want to be here, and we’ll start working with him when we can, when he gets in here.”

Clowney has begun the COVID-19 testing process and the expectation is that he will be allowed to enter the Titans’ facility and formally begin the acclimation process with his new team. Until then, everyone will have to content to think about what he will add to the operation.

“I think is impact is going to be immense,” Byard said. “… Obviously, he hasn’t been in the building yet, but I know he’s familiar with this defense.”

And those who have been in the building for a few years or more certainly know his name.