Clowney says he’s open to reunion with Texans

HOUSTON — Former Texans defensive end Jadeveon Clowney is open to returning to where his career started.

Clowney, 30, is a free agent after spending the past two seasons with the Cleveland Browns, where he finished with 11 sacks and 15 tackles for loss during his tenure.

He told KRIV-TV in Houston that his representatives had a conversation with the Texans during this offseason and that he is interested in returning.

“It would be nice,” Clowney said in the interview with KRIV-TV. “All my family is here. Friends here. The guys I work out with can help me take care of my body a lot better being right up under them. … You never know. You never know what will happen. You never know what’s in front of you. I see what they’ve got here. They’re putting the pieces together. I’m a big fan of their new head coach [DeMeco Ryans].”

The Texans selected Clowney with the No. 1 pick in the 2014 NFL draft, and he played five seasons with the franchise. During those five years, Clowney had 29 sacks and 64 tackles for loss, made three Pro Bowls (2014-2016), and earned second-team All-Pro honors in 2016.

The Texans traded Clowney to the Seattle Seahawks in 2019 for defensive end Jacob Martin, outside linebacker Barkevious Mingo and a 2020 third-round pick. Clowney played one season in Seattle before joining the Tennessee Titans in 2020.

If the Texans and Clowney reunited, he would join a defensive line room that added a few new pieces throughout the offseason. The Texans signed defensive tackle Sheldon Rankins and drafted defensive end Will Anderson at No. 3 to improve a unit that ranked 30th in total defense and allowed the sixth-most rushing yards in a season in NFL history (2,894).