Jadeveon Clowney’s NFL career started in pain. He tore the meniscus in his right knee in his first regular-season game, underwent arthroscopic surgery, tried to return later in that 2014 season, watched pain and swelling return, then opted for microfracture knee surgery, a risky operation that’s fallen out of favor in recent years.
Nine seasons and 104 games later, the defensive end’s still playing. But it hasn’t been easy.
“It’s been a ride, I tell y’all,” Clowney said after a Ravens practice Thursday, speaking at his first news conference since signing a one-year deal worth up to $6 million last week. “Don’t nobody know how much pain I’ve been in or what I’ve been through, but I do.”
Ask a pass rusher about his goals for a season, and he’ll probably have a number of sacks in mind. Clowney might, too. But his chief ambition in Baltimore, he reiterated Thursday, is simply staying healthy.
The former No. 1 overall draft pick has played every game in a season just once — six years ago. Over the past four seasons, Clowney has never appeared in more than 14 games. Last year, he played just 12 games and 493 defensive snaps for the Cleveland Browns, his second fewest since his injury-shortened rookie year.
“I think I’m going to play very well,” Clowney said. “Just ready to show it. I don’t want to talk about it. Just put my pads on and show up and play every game, week in and week out. My goal is to play 17 games this year. That’s the only goal I’m shooting for right now. So just try to do that. Start with that.”
Just over two weeks before the season opener, Clowney said he feels “great.” Teammates complimented his fitness level when he made his practice debut last week, and his raw strength was evident on a pass-rush repetition in 11-on-11 work Thursday, when he knocked back left tackle Ronnie Stanley with a power move.
Clowney had just two sacks and four quarterback hits in Cleveland last season, when he dealt with knee and ankle injuries. He said Ravens coaches have told him to “take my time” as he finds a role in the defense.
“I think I can do a lot of things, especially when I’m healthy,” he said. “I can do a lot of things, and I’m healthy right now, so I want to stay in this situation and just let them know I’m available to do just about anything up front. So I think they know that.”
“Don’t nobody know how much pain I’ve been in or what I’ve been through, but I do.”
Ravens DE Jadeveon Clowney
Clowney’s playing style invites jarring collisions. Coach John Harbaugh last week called him a “tough, hard-nosed, throws-his-body-around kind of player.” The most memorable play of his football career is still the helmet-popping hit he delivered against Michigan as a sophomore star at South Carolina.
Clowney said he signed with the Ravens because of the team’s winning culture. Asked about the opportunity to remain in the AFC North and face the Browns, whom he left on bad terms last season, he grinned quickly and shrugged his shoulders.
“I didn’t care where I stayed,” he said. “I don’t care none about what they got going on. I’m here now. It’s going to be great to go against them twice, I guess. Just looking forward to playing, like I said, 17 games, no matter who’s on the schedule. I want to be out there.”
