It's been a while since the Detroit Lions had more than one decent pass rusher on the field at any given time. Aidan Hutchinson is clearly a top-tier guy, but as talented as he is, there's only so much he can do on his own.
They play in one of the most talented divisions in football, and giving opposing quarterbacks a clean pocket might be a death sentence. That's why the Lions have tried to find him a partner in crime for so long, but to no avail.
Considering that, the Lions should certainly listen to Matt Bowen's advice. In his latest column, he mentioned Jadeveon Clowney as a perfect fit for Dan Campbell's team. Unfortunately, that's not going to happen.
Lions can't afford to make a run at Jadeveon Clowney
"Detroit drafted edge rusher Derrick Moore in the second round to play opposite Aidan Hutchinson on pass-rushing downs, but Clowney would provide more depth up front. He had 8.5 sacks and 32 pressures last season in 13 games for the Cowboys, winning late in the down to get to the quarterback. Clowney would provide rotational value for coordinator Kelvin Sheppard's unit," Bowen wrote.
Clowney has become a journeyman. He's collecting teams like infinity stones, and while he's never going to live up to the hype that made him the No. 1 pick out of South Carolina, he's still a very productive head-hunter.
As such, multiple teams might be interested in his services. He might be unsigned because he's taking his time to make a decision and not due to a lack of interest. Spotrac projects his market value at $5.7 million per year, and while that sounds reasonable, given his production, he might be a bit out of the Lions' price range.
According to Over The Cap, the Lions are sitting on $18.6 million in available cap space. Technically, they could figure out a way to get him, maybe even offering him an incentives-based deal. That said, they will likely want to preserve cap space for an in-season move, so that sounds unlikely, especially with other teams in a position to outbid them.
Lions general manager Brad Holmes acknowledged the need for another pass rusher, but they will likely trust Derrick More to grow through his mistakes as a rookie. Adding another veteran to the mix may help the Lions in the short term, but it could mess with the second-round pick's development.
The Lions are looking to bounce back after a disappointing season, and the decision not to pursue Clowney might come back to haunt them sooner rather than later. For now, however, it feels like the roster is mostly set.
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