The Ravens could be on the verge of losing one of their top three sack leaders from 2023.
The Baltimore Ravens have had to watch as eight of their pending 23 free agents agreed to terms to sign elsewhere during the first two days of the legal tampering period ahead of the start of the new league year. According to a report from NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, they could be in jeopardy of losing veteran outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney as well as he is set to visit with the Carolina Panthers this week.
A possible homecoming in Carolina: The #Panthers will host three-time Pro Bowl selection and Rock Hill, S.C. native Jadeveon Clowney on a visit to this week, sources say. Clowney has interest from a few teams, including the #Ravens, but is exploring a return home first. pic.twitter.com/War9BCIYKE
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 13, 2024
The three-time Pro Bowler grew up in Rock Hills, South Carolina, and played collegiately for the University of South Carolina Gamecocks before getting selected No. 1 overall by the Houston Texans in the 2014 NFL Draft. Signing with the Panthers would be a homecoming of sorts for the 10-year veteran for a franchise that has been downtrodden as of late. However, they haven’t been afraid to agree to terms on big deals with free agents the past couple of days and have a glaring need on the edge of their defense after trading two-time Pro Bowler Brian Burns to the New York Giants on Monday.
Clowney is coming off the best season of his career where he appeared in every game for just the second time in his career and made 15 starts during. His 9.5 sacks tied a single-season career-high and were the second-most on the team behind defensive tackle Justin Madubuike. He also recorded 43 total tackles including nine for a loss, 19 quarterback hits, two forced fumbles, one fumble recovery, and five pass deflections.
Garafolo also reported that Clowney has interest from a few other teams including the Ravens who would like to bring him back. He proved to be a Godsend of a training camp signing given how the young players they were counting on to take a leap at the position struggled with injuries.
The Ravens currently have just four edge defenders under contract for the 2024 season after releasing seven-year veteran Tyus Bowser on Wednesday to create cap space and all of them have three or fewer years of experience under their belts. If General Manager Eric DeCosta strikes out on bringing back Clowney, he could quickly pivot to trying to re-sign another 10-year veteran in Kyle Van Noy. The two-time Super Bowl champion didn’t sign with the team until September and went on to record a career-high nine sacks in just 14 games.