Jadeveon Clowney is determined to prove to everybody that he still is an elite defender. (Cleveland Browns)
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Editor's note: Tony Grossi is a Cleveland Browns analyst for TheLandOnDemand.com and 850 ESPN Cleveland.
On the day Andrew Berry reeled in his “white whale,” finally hooking Jadeveon Clowney, the word of the day was “relentless.”
“We love his relentless style of play,” Berry said in a team release. “You really have to be relentless to be an effective defensive lineman in the NFL.”
So I asked Clowney about Berry’s own relentlessness in pursuing him.
“I got that same feeling [of relentlessness] he has for me for him,” Clowney said on a Zoom call shortly after signing a one-year prove-it deal that can reach $10 million with incentives. “That is why I said, ‘This dude is very relentless.’ He was relentless getting after me and trying to get me up here, and I am going to be relentless on that field for him. He knows I can play. He told me he likes my style of play. I said I am going to bring that here.”
Berry’s obsession with Clowney dates to his 2019 season when he understudied Eagles GM Howie Roseman in Philadelphia.
The Eagles tried to trade for Clowney, but the Texans dealt their 2014 overall No. 1 draft choice instead to Seattle. That was Clowney’s last semi-healthy season, and although his three recorded sacks were unimpressive, he fought through constant double teams and led the Seahawks with 13 quarterback hits and four forced fumbles, and contributed a Pick 6.
Berry’s last impression of Clowney was seeing him knock out Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz and sack replacement Josh McCown once in a 17-9 NFC wild-card loss to the Seahawks.
“He's one of the more disruptive players in the game,” Berry said.
Things change
When Berry took over the following year as Browns GM, he pursued Clowney in free agency with the relentlessness that Clowney pursues quarterbacks.
Reportedly, Berry offered two deals – one year for $18 million or three years approaching $54 million. Advised by agent Bus Cook, who also represents Myles Garrett, Clowney chose the Titans, whose head coach Mike Vrabel coached Clowney in Houston.
It was the greatest deal Berry never made. Clowney went belly-up with no sacks and one torn meniscus that ended his season after eight games.
After a change in agents – and a stunning metamorphosis of the Browns into a playoff-winning team – Clowney visited the Browns and liked what he saw and heard.
“Circumstances changed,” Clowney said. “I got to sit down with the staff and got to know some of the guys, and it made it much more easier for me to come here and play.
“Just listening to them and how they are going about the schedule, and not just that [but] the approach to the team and what they have in their mindset for the team, the defense and the guys around us. I was buying into all of that because they showed me how they schemed and how they were thinking for their scheme, and I was like, ‘Oh, I can see myself doing that in the scheme.’ That kind of helped me make my decision, too – what they had me doing in the scheme and what they were showing me.”
Clowney, 28, professes to be in his best health in years. He’s had five knee surgeries, one core muscle surgery and three Pro Bowl berths.
On his Zoom call, he was self-aware enough to confess, “I do not think everybody got to see the person they drafted yet. I think I am working back towards that, but I am well on my way now.”
Pedal to metal
When he was introduced as the youngest GM in the league, Berry promised to be aggressive in acquiring talent. He lived up to that in his first season by striking deals to fill obvious holes on offense and surrounding quarterback Baker Mayfield with protection and playmakers and a quarterback-friendly offensive system installed by coach Kevin Stefanski.
What Berry is doing on defense this year is next level.
Prior to Clowney, Berry provided defensive coordinator Joe Woods with his missing pieces – safety John Johnson to quarterback a three-safety system with Ronnie Harrison and returning 2020 draft pick Grant Delpit, veteran nickel back Troy Hill, linebacker Anthony Walker, defensive end Takk McKinley, and tackle Malik Jackson.
All that’s missing is a young cornerback capable of competing for a starting spot opposite Denzel Ward immediately and easing the pressure to rush in Greedy Williams after a year nursing a nerve injury in his right shoulder.
The idea of the Browns luxuriating in a "best player available" draft is wrong. They aren't deep enough at cornerback. I expect Berry now to aggressively pursue a trade up from No. 26 on draft night to nab one of the top four cornerbacks in the coming draft.
Berry’s aggression goes beyond his promise at his introductory press conference. I believe Berry sees a two-year window for the Browns to win a Super Bowl.
Yes, he and Paul DePodesta, chief strategy officer, aspire to “sustained success.” But like other young, progressive thinkers running teams in the NFL, they know that in this salary cap era, the best chance to claim a championship is when your quarterback is still on his rookie contract.
Once the quarterback gets that cap-crunching mega-deal, which surely is around the corner for Mayfield, things change. The job of GM’ing becomes much more difficult. Less salary cap space causes sacrifices at other positions, which make it harder to surround the quarterback with the necessary support.
In the case of the Browns, the luxury of fielding a pair of $15 million-plus receivers, Jarvis Landry and Odell Beckham Jr., and what Clowney himself referred to as “the two-headed monster” – elite backs Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt – simply can not be sustained.
Mayfield has two more seasons on his rookie contract after his fifth-year option is picked up next month. After that, the Browns can still compete, but it will take a reboot.
Berry is not only aware that the window is open for the Browns to make it to their first Super Bowl. He is relentless about getting them there.