The Cleveland Browns may need to infuse their front seven with some help and Chandler Jones could be an option.
Chandler Jones appears to be avoiding being franchise tagged by the Arizona Cardinals which would make him an unrestricted free agent. Jones has been a stellar pass rusher in his career and will have many suitors in free agency. The Cleveland Browns should be one of them.
Cleveland appears to be willing to let Jadeveon Clowney explore his own options in free agency which seems like coded language meaning we are not going to pay a large sum for his services. Exploring signing Chandler Jones in the wake of his departure would help solidify their defense. Jones is coming off a 10.5 sack season, a bounce back of sorts after recording just one in five games in the previous campaign. This sack number, pedestrian for Jones compared to his career performance, is better than any season that Clowney has put together, 9.5 sacks in 2017 being his high mark.
Pressures (36-31) and QB knockdowns (17-10) also favor Jones while Clowney holds a slight advantage in hurries (12-10). While Jones is a bit older having just turned 32 and Clowney just turning 29, there seems to be less concerns about injuries and consistent level of play. These are the two areas that must be considered when weighting Jones vs. Clowney. Availability and consistency heavily favor Jones over Clowney and that should tip the scales in his favor.
If the Browns are going to sign a free agent pass rusher, Chandler Jones at least deserves a look. Jones has repeatedly proven to be valuable defensive player who can make a difference and that is what this defense needs. Adding Jones would be expensive, but good players usually are and that’s what he is.
