Houston Texans should be worried about Jadeveon Clowney
Jadeveon Clowney was selected first overall by the Houston Texans as a generational talent at the defensive end position. Mike Mayock of NFL Network believed that Jadeveon Clowney‘s rare physical talent “demands that he becomes the best defensive player in the league.” After one season, four games played and three surgeries, however, the Texans should be worried that Clowney may never realize his NFL potential.
Clowney recorded just 5 solo tackles in his rookie season, and was unable to create any resemblance of a pass rush in his very limited playing time. For those of you who bet that Toby Gerhart would have as many solo tackles as Jadeveon Clowney in 2014, it’s time to collect.
A surgery for a sports hernia in June raised concerns over the summer, but subsided by the beginning of the season. Clowney’s right knee, which ailed him in college, emerged as a serious problem early in the year, though, and the Texans initially treated the issue with an arthroscopic surgery.
After drudging through the 4-6 week recovery time without making the necessary strides, the Texans and Clowney sought additional medical opinions, and it was eventually determined that he would need microfracture surgery on the knee.
This surgery is performed to repair knee cartilage, which cushions and covers the area where bone meets joint. The surgeon uses a small, pointed tool to create many microscopic holes in the bone, which then releases cells that help to rebuild the surrounding cartilage. Unfortunately, the regenerated cartilage is not as strong as the original and can become worn much quicker, creating the possibility that another procedure may be necessary in the future. There is also the potential that Clowney will experience limited flexibility in the knee.
According to Houston Texans GM Rick Smith, Clowney is still unable to bear weight on that knee.
"“That surgery requires a pretty significant amount of time that you are not weight bearing, and then you kind of gotta work yourself back to it. He’s been diligent in his rehab. That’s the thing he can control right now. He understands that. It’s an arduous process for him because he’s limited right now in what he can do. There’s just a few exercises that he can do to maintain some of the strength in his leg. Once he gets to the point where he can put weight on the leg again and start to really get into a rehab process, I know he’s anxious to do that. He’s anxious to make the contributions that we all know he’s capable of making.“That surgery requires a pretty significant amount of time that you are not weight bearing, and then you kind of gotta work yourself back to it. He’s been diligent in his rehab. That’s the thing he can control right now. He understands that. It’s an arduous process for him because he’s limited right now in what he can do. There’s just a few exercises that he can do to maintain some of the strength in his leg. Once he gets to the point where he can put weight on the leg again and start to really get into a rehab process, I know he’s anxious to do that. He’s anxious to make the contributions that we all know he’s capable of making."
Gosder Cherilus of the Indianapolis Colts underwent a similar procedure recently, and his account of the recovery process doesn’t bode well for Clowney or the Texans. “They told me I would be back in 12 months. I fought and came back in nine months. But it wasn’t right.” Cherilus said. “You are going to deal with stuff for the rest of your career. Period. You have to be extremely disciplined. You have to do all the little things. Man, I’m telling you – it’s hard.”
This could prove to be very challenging for Clowney, who was knocked for his maturity and commitment coming out of South Carolina. He drew heavy criticism in his final season for sitting out of a game against Kentucky with a muscle strain in his rib area, so how will he cope, both mentally and physically, with such a demanding process?
The harsh reality for Houston is that Clowney may miss a significant portion of the 2015 season, and is a candidate to begin the year on the Reserve/PUP list. He remains one of the most physically gifted athletes in all of football and could still have a greater upside than any young defender in the league, but this recovery will not happen overnight. While the dominance of J.J. Watt and Houston’s flirtation with the playoffs pulled enough of the spotlight away from Clowney in 2014, his absence won’t go unnoticed any longer.
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