Potential Jadeveon Clowney signing should not impact Browns draft plans

Why Clowney makes sense for Cleveland

If Clowney is still dead-set on a long-term deal, then there is no discussion to be had with the Browns. Garrett is entering year four and will almost certainly become the highest-paid defender in NFL history when after his rookie deal and fifth-year option expire. Cleveland is in a good position cap-wise, but no team can afford to pay two players top-five money at the same position.

However, if Clowney is willing to take a one or two-year deal worth $18-$20 million yearly, then things get interesting.

Right now, Garrett’s running mate is eight-year veteran Olivier Vernon, who was acquired via trade last offseason. He is in the final year of his contract, and is set to make $15.5 million this season, although none of that is guaranteed, and he can be released right now for zero dead money.

When healthy, Vernon is a very good player. He provides consistent pass rush and excellent run defense, and was playing extremely well last year before suffering a knee injury in Week 9 against the Denver Broncos.

Vernon has now missed 15 games over the last three seasons, and played just 10 snaps in one of his outings last year. When healthy, he’s very effective, but he’s become quite injury-prone recently.

Vernon’s $15.5 million cap hit is set to come off the books after this year, which will give the Browns a very nice boost to their cap space. Replacing Vernon with a long-term contract is not wise, as Cleveland must keep as much cap space as possible open for projected future extensions for Garrett, Baker Mayfield, Denzel Ward, and others.

But, if Clowney were to be available for, say, two years and $36-$40 million, the Browns would need to look long and hard at signing him.

Clowney and Vernon are similar players in terms of what they provide, but Clowney certainly has the much higher ceiling that he’s yet to fully reach. Perhaps he would be able to do that opposite of Garrett. Clowney, while he has dealt with injuries, has also proven to be more durable than Vernon.

So if Clowney ends up being a short-term proposition, why wouldn’t the Browns move on from Vernon for a younger, better, and more reliable version? Clowney’s contract would end up serving the same purpose as Vernon’s, and Cleveland would be reducing their chances of tying up a significant amount of money in a player who is sitting on the sidelines in street clothes.