Jadeveon Clowney Sent Home from Browns Practice After Comments on Future with Team
January 6, 2023
Jadeveon Clowney's status for Sunday's game against the Pittsburgh Steelers is up in the air after the Cleveland Browns sent the defensive end home on Friday before practice.
Per Mary Kay Cabot of Cleveland.com, Browns coaches sent Clowney away after he made comments about being unhappy with his role on the team and said he was "95% sure I won't be back" with Cleveland next season.
The 29-year-old told Cabot he needed to be with an organization that believed in him in order to maximize his skill set.
"I just feel like I need to be around somebody that believes in me and my ability," Clowney, said. "(It can't) just be me believing in myself. I believe in myself more than anybody."
Speaking to reporters Friday, Myles Garrett expressed his feelings on Clowney's displeasure with the club.
Clowney is set to become a free agent in March. He has spent the past two seasons with the Browns. This has been one of the least-productive seasons of his nine-year NFL career.
The three-time Pro Bowler has 28 combined tackles, four tackles for loss and two sacks in 12 games. He has only played more than 80 percent of Cleveland's defensive snaps in a game once.
Clowney has had prolonged stints on the free-agent market in each of the past three seasons. He signed with the Tennessee Titans in September 2020 after undergoing core muscle surgery early in the offseason.
After one year with the Titans, Clowney signed with the Browns in April 2021. He had a productive first season with the team, recording 19 quarterback hits and nine sacks in 14 starts.
The Browns signed Clowney to another one-year deal in May.
Cleveland (7-9) has already been eliminated from playoff contention. This will be the team's second consecutive losing season after going 11-5 and making the playoffs in 2020.