Texans Considered Signing Another DE Before Jadeveon Clowney

Pairing that chemistry with the Texans' defense and their surrounding staff, Barnett was always an option who was still lingering out on the free agent market, and stuck out as a target Houston should look towards if they were ever going to search outwards for that third defensive end. 

Instead, the Texans decided that they wanted to go in a different direction for their defensive end spot by bringing in Clowney, a more productive, experienced player in his respective role.

Inking that contract for Clowney might've also become a bit easier when learning the veteran was willing to come to Houston via a one-year deal with a base value of $5.5 million.

Nick Caserio, Texans Had Conversations With Clowney in Late Spring

Caserio expressed that the Texans did have conversations with Clowney and his representation in the late spring to summer portion of the offseason, but didn't exactly get the wheels to turn on a signing actually becoming a reality until closer to training camp.

"JD [Clowney] was a player who, we had some conversations with initially–– maybe it was a little bit later in the spring/summer, then we kept in contact with his agent over the course of the summer," Caserio continued.

"At some point, there was a level of mutual interest. He obviously had a lot of interest from other teams... But it worked out. It says a lot about Jadeveon; the fact that he wanted to be here... He’s still shown the ability, whether it's in Dallas, Baltimore, Carolina, these different stops: he still brings some positive qualities to the table.”

Now, the Texans' questions for their defensive end depth have been solved pretty confidently with an addition like Clowney. He can now forge together one of the best three-man groups at the position within the NFL, and ensure that Houston's pass-rush doesn't lose a step in the event that Anderson or Hunter aren't on the field.