Texans' pass rush gets even deeper as Jadeveon Clowney returns

Dallas Cowboys defensive end Jadeveon Clowney. IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

Texans' pass rush gets even deeper as Jadeveon Clowney returns

By Adam Gretz | Last updated Aug 2, 2026 4:45 PM ET

One of the NFL's fiercest and most disruptive pass rushes is about to get even deeper.

The Houston Texans are signing free agent edge-rusher Jadeveon Clowney to a one-year contract, reuniting him with the franchise that made him the No. 1 overall pick more than a decade ago.

Texans reunite with former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney

The 33-year-old Clowney spent the 2025 season as a member of the Dallas Cowboys, recording 8.5 sacks in only 13 games while mostly playing as a situational role player. Given that, the 8.5 sacks are a somewhat impressive total and show that he is still capable of getting to the quarterback.

And that should be terrifying news for everybody else in the AFC South and the AFC.

Reunion: The #Texans are signing their own former No. 1 overall pick Jadeveon Clowney, per me and @MikeGarafolo.

Clowney, who played last year for the #Cowboys, stays in his hometown to play. A quick photoshop: pic.twitter.com/ACZYDLQZgH
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 2, 2026

Houston already has one of the league's top defensive groups and defensive lines, with their 47 sacks in 2025 finishing tied for the seventh-most in the NFL. With Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter already on the outside, and then adding Kayden McDonald at the top of the second round in the 2026 NFL Draft, the Texans' defensive line is impressively deep.

Bringing Clowney into the mix only extends that depth.

Especially since they do not need him to be a full-time, every-down player and can strictly use him as a situational role player.

The Texans selected Clowney with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2014 NFL Draft, keeping him for the first five years of his career.

Since then, he has bounced around the league playing for the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and then most recently with the Cowboys.

Now he is back where it all started with a chance to play for a Super Bowl-caliber team and defense.

Adam Gretz

Adam Gretz is a freelance writer based in Pittsburgh. He covers the NHL, NFL, MLB and NBA. Baseball is his favorite sport -- he is nearly halfway through his goal of seeing a game in every MLB ballpark. Catch him on X @AGretz

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