Jadeveon Clowney Returned to Cleveland to 'Chase that Super Bowl'
Jadeveon Clowney's got his eyes on the prize. He signed up for another year with the Cleveland Browns and he says that he did so for one reason: to win a Super Bowl.
Yes, you read that correctly. Clowney recently spoke with the Browns' Best Podcast Available and told them, "I just want to chase that Super Bowl. We had a great defense last year. We went out and got some more key players on offense and defense, and I feel like we've got a shot."
They may have a shot indeed. Though the Browns have made the playoffs just twice in the last twenty years, they have put together a solid team for 2022. Perhaps "great defense" exaggerates the truth a bit, but their defense did rank 15th in the league and averaged just over 21 points allowed per game.
However, his reference to "key players on offense" may be his true reason for optimism. The former star QB for the Houston Texans Deshaun Watson, a former teammate of Clowney's, signed with the Browns this offseason for an astonishing $230 million. While Watson remains embroiled in a sexual misconduct lawsuit filed by 22 women, the NFL investigation of the accusations is "nearing the end," according to commissioner Roger Goodell, and many now believe that Watson will be eligible for most or all of the 2022 season.
As long as Watson is able to play, the Browns should be competitive in the AFC North. While QB Baker Mayfield remains on the team, both he and the Browns hope to find a trading partner for him some time soon, according to OutKick's Sam Amico.
And Watson isn't the only key figure for the Browns this year. Clowney says he and All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett have developed a chemistry that should keep opponents out of the end zone.
"We've become real good guys and close to each other because we play together," Clowney said of Garrett back in January. "I pick his brain, and he picks mine. We feed off each other out there. It's a good thing to have someone on the other end that you don't worry about. You're just like, 'Hey, I will meet you there .'"
So, Clowney and Garrett will meet at the other team's quarterback and they have a big name quarterback of their own. Perhaps Clowney's Super Bowl ambitions aren't so far-fetched after all.