Former No. 1 overall pick interested in reunion with original team

Nearly a decade after being selected as the No. 1 overall pick by the Houston Texans in the 2014 NFL Draft, edge rusher Jadeveon Clowney is open to a potential return to the team.

Clowney made his comments on Houston's KRIV-TV this week, saying he was a big fan of new Texans head coach Demeco Ryans and that his representatives have had discussions with the team. 

"It would be nice," said Clowney. "All my family is here. Friends here. The guys I work out with can help me take care of my body a lot better being right up under them. You never know. You never know what will happen. You never know what's in front of you. I see what they've got here. They're putting the pieces together. I'm a big fan of their new head coach."

The Texans drafted Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick in 2014, and he played five seasons with the team before being traded to the Seattle Seahawks for a 2020 third-round pick, Jacob Martin and Barkevious Mingo. 

Since that trade, he has bounced around the NFL, making brief stops with the Seahawks, Tennessee Titans and Cleveland Browns.

He spent the past two seasons playing in Cleveland. 

He has appeared in 109 games in his career, registering 43 sacks, 90 tackles for loss, 109 quarterback hits, 13 forced fumbles, and eight fumble recoveries. He also has one interception and 23 pass defenses with four touchdowns (one interception return and three fumble returns) in his career.

The former South Carolina standout is a free agent this offseason and remains unsigned. 

Clowney never become the type of franchise-changing superstar you hope to get with the No. 1 overall pick, but he has still been a strong player at times. He is 30 years old and not quite the impact pass-rusher he was at his peak, though. While he quickly wore out his welcome in Cleveland after just two years, he still might have a chance to help a young team like Houston. 

The Texans were one of the worst teams in the NFL this past season but ended up with two of the top-three picks in April's draft through a series of trades, selecting Ohio State quarterback C.J. Stroud (No. 2 overall) and Alabama edge rusher Will Anderson (No. 3 overall).

With those picks and the arrival of Ryans, there is finally some real excitement for the long-term outlook of the Texans.