BEREA, Ohio — Editor's note: the video in the player above is from a previous story.
Wednesday marked the start of the second week of Cleveland Browns training camp. But one would be hard-pressed not to forgive Jadeveon Clowney if he's still adjusting.
After all, you'd have to go back to 2018 to find the last time Clowney was actually on the practice field at this point of the preseason. In 2019, the No. 1 pick of the 2014 NFL Draft held out from the Houston Texans before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks just ahead of the start of the regular season, while last year, he didn't end his free agency until Sept. 6 when he agreed to a one-year deal with the Tennessee Titans.
“I am just happy to be in camp," Clowney said ahead of Wednesday's practice in Berea. "It has been a while -- a few years now. I am looking forward to this training camp, getting out here with the guys and getting back into football.”
For Clowney, this preseason hasn't been as much about getting on the practice field as it has been staying on it. While still considered a disruptive force, the two-time Pro Bowl selection has appeared in just 21 games over the course of the past two seasons and missed the final eight games of the 2020 campaign due to a meniscus injury that required surgery. Those injury concerns are a big reason why Clowney was available in free agency for a second straight offseason with the Browns inking the 28-year-old to a one-year, $8 million contract.
In coming to Cleveland, Clowney is hoping to revitalize his career while lining up across from All-Pro defensive end Myles Garrett. And while camp is only one week old at this point, so far, the results have been so good.
“I think I had rough start to my career. I started off with the worst injury I could think of with the microfracture. I have just been getting better throughout my career as far as getting healthy," Clowney answered when asked about his belief that he can have a career year in Cleveland. "I had probably one of the best offseasons I have had working out. I am looking for a big year, and with the guys around me, that can happen.”