The Cincinnati Bengals have a sudden concern at defensive end after Shemar Stewart's injury and the AFC North rival Cleveland Browns might've sparked an ideal opportunity. While Stewart's timeline to return is still unknown, it couldn't hurt Cincinnati to at least explore the possibility of Jadeveon Clowney.
Watching Stewart get carted off the field during the first open practice of Bengals training camp was a major bummer. The 2025 first-round pick has so much talent, and dealt with multiple injuries as a rookie. From human and football purist perspectives, you hate to see Stewart go down.
However, in the wake of the news that the Browns are visiting with Clowney, per NFL Media's Mike Garafolo, there's a chance for Cincinnati to make yet another aggressive offseason move for a big-name player.
Clowney would be ideal Shemar Stewart insurance policy
The Browns already messed with the Bengals with their market-resetting contract extension for cornerback Denzel Ward. That throws a bit of a wrench into DJ Turner's negotiations. Stealing away Jadeveon Clowney in the event that he doesn't join Cleveland for a second stint would be Cincinnati's ultimate payback.
As of early Thursday morning, with a hat tip to BengalsTalk.com's James Rapien, Stewart posted a vague anime reference on his Instagram story with a character in some sort of healing chamber. We may find out in a matter of hours how severe his injury is.
Regardless of how long Stewart is sidelined, Clowney is not only a cost-effective option in free agency. It's also hard to imagine a more perfect mentor for the young Bengal.
Clowney was the No. 1 overall pick back in 2014. Although one could argue he hasn't quite lived up to that billing, it is hard to argue that he's some kind of flop. The 33-year-old vet is still kicking around the NFL, and last season with the Dallas Cowboys, proved he has plenty left in the tank with 8.5 sacks.
And oh by the way, Clowney played on a one-year, $3.5 million deal this past year. Not exactly a prohibitive cost, even if his performance upped his price tag a tad.
That's especially noteworthy since Clowney has never had a double-digit sack season. He's much better known for playing the run. In case some folks aren't aware, Cincinnati finished dead-last in run defense in 2025.
Does that not sound like a probable career trajectory for Stewart? A historic, freak athlete whose sack production approaches double digits any given year but never quite gets there? Still a disruptive, high-impact player whose strength is run defense?
Clowney has dealt with his fair share of injuries, too. He somehow keeps coming back and continues to produce at a starting-caliber level.
This Bengals defensive end group is talented but still young. They lack a true veteran leader, unless you want to advocate for newcomer Boye Mafe or Myles Murphy in that role. I wouldn't.
As recently as 2023, Clowney had 9.5 sacks as a starter for the Baltimore Ravens, who made it to the AFC Championship Game. It'd be pretty awesome if Clowney pulled a Joe Flacco and made the Bengals his third different AFC North team.
Clowney should have plenty of incentive to do so, because with Flacco and, more prominently, Joe Burrow in Cincinnati, he'd have a real crack at his first Super Bowl win. To sign Clowney at the Browns' expense would make it even sweeter for the Bengals, too.
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