Jadeveon Clowney, Panthers
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Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, formerly of the Carolina Panthers.
The Detroit Lions have discussed reuniting with defensive end Za’Darius Smith as recently as early August, but those conversations have since quieted and another short-term option to fill the team’s need on the edge is available in free agency.
Defensive end Jadeveon Clowney, a No. 1 pick in 2014 who played last season with the Carolina Panthers, remains unsigned one week ahead of the Lions’ season opener against the Green Bay Packers.
Carolina is facing even more perilous circumstances off the edge than Detroit, so Clowney strangely makes sense as an option for the Panthers, even after they released him in early May. Clowney had signed a two-year contract worth $20 million in March 2024, though Carolina cut ties with him after just the first of those two seasons.
The Lions didn’t cut Smith, rather his two-year contract worth $23 million expired along with Detroit’s season. As of late last week, the Lions continued to hold an open roster spot, presumably to add an edge defender. However, general manager Brad Holmes said that isn’t necessarily the case in a media session Thursday, August 28.
“Anything’s a possibility,” Holmes said. “But the one open roster spot is not for a specific player. It’s for the player that makes the most sense for us, whoever that might be.”
Reporters inquired as to whether the team had spoken recently with Smith’s representation, to which Holmes replied it had not.
Za’Darius Smith Better On-Field Option for Lions Than Jadeveon Clowney, but Cost Could Prove Factor
GettyEdge rusher Za’Darius Smith, formerly of the Detroit Lions.
Clowney will turn 33 less than a week after the Super Bowl next February, while Smith will celebrate his 33rd birthday one day after the Lions’ Week 1 contest at Lambeau Field.
Despite being roughly six months younger, Clowney has been in the league one more season than Smith. Both have earned Pro-Bowl honors three times and second-team All-Pro honors once, though Smith’s most recent accolades (2022) came four years more recently than did Clowney’s (2018).
Smith has also outperformed Clowney statistically over the course of their respective careers, tallying 173 QB hits, 85 tackles for loss and 69 sacks compared to Clowney’s 139 QB hits, 108 tackles for loss and 58 sacks. Both have appeared in 140 regular-season NFL games. Smith was better last season specifically, with nine sacks and 25 QB pressures, while Clowney put up 5.5 sacks and 22 QB pressures.
All that said, Clowney may come cheaper than Smith, who could still have a market in Carolina or with a team like the Chicago Bears should the Lions ink Clowney for the 2025 campaign instead.
Lions Need Upgrade Over Marcus Davenport at Defensive End
Marcus Davenport, Vikings
GettyPass rusher Marcus Davenport, formerly of the Minnesota Vikings.
If Detroit doesn’t make any upgrades, Marcus Davenport will start opposite star Aidan Hutchinson. Davenport played for the Lions last season, though appeared in just two games and started only one after tearing his triceps early in the campaign.
Davenport also missed 13 contests while employed by the Minnesota Vikings in 2023. The year prior was his last with the New Orleans Saints, who selected him 14th overall in the first round of the 2018 draft. He played 15 games that year but tallied just 0.5 sacks.
Over his past three seasons combined (21 appearances), Davenport has produced just 3.0 sacks along with only 26 quarterback pressures. He will turn 29 years old early this season and is on a one-year contract worth $2.5 million.
That leaves the Lions in an unenviable position on the edge, as Hutchinson returns from a broken leg after a monster start to the 2024 campaign. The team traded for Smith ahead of the deadline, and he gave them four sacks over the final eight regular-season contests.