Following most of the Houston Texans ' work to their roster in the offseason, there's been one lingering need that many have circled as an area the front office could (or should) prioritize in the weeks ahead: and that's their defensive end depth.
While the Texans have one of the best one-two punches at defensive end with both Will Anderson Jr. and Danielle Hunter , the names filling in behind them aren't as proven--especially following the departure of Derek Barnett this offseason--leaving Houston 's third edge rusher spot up for grabs during the weeks that lie ahead in training camp.
Many have looked in the direction of Jadeveon Clowney as a potential target that the Texans could take interest in to fill that void.
He's still a free agent heading into August, excelled last season with the Dallas Cowboys logging over eight sacks on the year, and might make for a bit of a storybook ending to the former No. 1 pick's career , coming back to where his NFL journey all started.
On paper, the idea isn't that outlandish. However, it seems like from the Texans' perspective, they aren't too interested in bringing back their former top pick from 2014, at least at this point in the offseason.
NFL insider Aaron Wilson from KPRC2 recently spoke on where the Texans' stand as it relates to their edge rusher depth during an interview with Garret Williams.
And based on his intel, he feels that Houston is content with the names they have on the roster as is, and aren't looking to sign someone like Clowney, despite his Clowney's personal interest in being brought back.
"I've heard there's no momentum towards, say, Jadeveon Clowney, who would love to play for them and is local," Wilson said. "There was never anything with Cameron Jordan . They have given the {defensive end] reps to Dominique Robinson and Dylan Horton ."
"No one's really made a lot of splash plays. It's just been a matter of, are they going to put someone else out there?"
There's at least some reason for the Texans to eventually look towards Clowney, if they felt their defensive end depth needed work.
Clowney's expressed interest himself in joining, Houston has the cap space to bring him on, and he's a productive, experienced piece who can still produce as a run defender and when it comes to bringing pressure on the quarterback.
But rather that looking outward for their new DE3 to replace Derek Barnett, they're looking inwards.
That focus has been centered around the duo of Dylan Horton, who's in his fourth year with the Texans, and Dominique Robinson, who was signed onto a one-year deal earlier this offseason .
If the Texans' staff can see enough out of those guys in camp to establish enough confidence that they can back up Anderson and Hunter, there might be no need for someone like Clowney to come in and take their snaps.
Instead, Houston can bank on their development for cheaper, and maybe even spend their excess cap space elsewhere on the roster, if they feel the need to.
Of course, there's also a world where neither of those two shows the necessary signs to establish trust within the Texans staff. After all, both of them combined for a total of two sacks last season, have never logged more than two sacks in any season they've played thus far, and might not break out as Houston expects them to.
Jun 9, 2026; Houston, Texas, USA; Houston Texans defensive end Dylan Horton arrives for the team's minicamp at Houston Methodist Training Center. Mandatory Credit: Maria Lysaker-Imagn Images | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
If they continue to not show any flashes in practice, and prove that Houston needs to re-evaluate the depth at the position, the front office can pivot and give someone like Clowney or another free agent a deeper look later into camp.
But currently, the Texans appear more interested in giving their already-rostered talent a ton of opportunities in camp, seeing what they have, than reapproaching any needs on that end if necessary.
So for now, you can cool the jets on any talk of Clowney making his way back to the Texans-- at least for as long as Houston and their new-look defensive line are getting their feet wet in this year's training camp.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/texans/onsi as Texans Aren't Interested in Jadeveon Clowney Reunion-- Here's Why .
