When the Texans took linebacker Jadeveon Clowney with the first overall pick of the 2014 draft, their hope was that he’d team with defensive end J.J. Watt to lift the team’s defense to the top of the league.
Injuries have kept that from happening. Clowney has missed 15 regular season games and last year’s playoff loss to the Chiefs because of a variety of injuries, leaving his potential unfulfilled as he heads into his third season.
Linebackers coach Mike Vrabel said that he saw increased resolve from Clowney on the field and in the classroom during this year’s offseason program, something that he believes Clowney needs to make a bigger impact for the Texans in 2016. That can’t happen unless he’s healthy, of course, and there’s not much that General Manager Rick Smith and the rest of the team can do but hope that’s the case.
“When he’s been on the field, he’s been pretty disruptive, pretty impactful,” Smith said, via the Houston Chronicle. “It’s just that he has suffered some injuries, which you would hope is that he’s already had as many as he needs to have, right? Just from a standpoint of luck, hopefully the guy has had his share of injuries and he will have an opportunity to play for an extended amount of time because I think what you see, when you see him on the field, you see productive play. He’s going to work at that. Some of those injuries it’s not like he’s getting hurt because he’s not working. The nature of the injuries he’s had are not such that it’s an indicator of the guy’s not being conditioned or ready to play. It’s just the nature of the game. Hopefully, he’s had his share of them and he’ll be on the field consistently.”
There were flashes of good play for Clowney last season, but missing Week 17 and the playoff loss meant the year ended on another down note and the questions about his durability remain firmly in place. Should they still be in place after the 2016 season, the Texans’ hopefulness may give away to resignation that Clowney’s health won’t allow him to make good on their expectations.