LA Rams need to line up Donald and Clowney on same defense

Bargain priced

That price may not be top-shelf any longer.  After all, he’s coming off a sub-par season in Tennessee. In fact, he saw the field for eight games and his stat line is weak:  19 tackles, four passes defended, and one forced fumble. And for a player whose game is predicated on coming off the edge and sacking the quarterback, Clowney went 0h-for-eight games played last year without a sack. Nada. Zilch. Goose egg.

Oh, and now he’s coming back from surgery as well. Two strikes. Surely, his stock value has declined, his asking price has ratcheted down a few million pesos.

Nevertheless, it’s kinda’ difficult not to fantasize about an LA Rams defense that might flash a healthy Clowney coming off the edge and the NFL Defensive Player of the Year Aaron Donald road-grading opponents’ o-lines. With Donald knocking ’em down like falling bowling ball pins, Clowney would have open lanes to harass, harangue, and hound quarterbacks.

Sure, his price tag will be high, possibly upwards of $10 million per year to a normal NFL team, but here’s the thing: Clowney didn’t exactly ball out last year playing for the Tennessee Titans. His leverage game is not nearly as strong this time around.