This story has been updated with more details, including the NFL’s transaction wire confirming the visit.
BEREA ― The Browns could be closing in on a reunion few could’ve seen coming four years ago.
Veteran defensive end Jadeveon Clowney visited with the Browns July 29, the NFL’s daily transaction wire confirmed. The 33-year-old former No. 1 overall pick would provide another veteran to what is mostly a young defensive end group.
The Browns held their first full-squad training camp practice the same day as Clowney’s visit. They open training camp with their oldest defensive end being 28-year-old Julian Okwara, a sixth-year pro.
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Two-time NFL Defensive Player of the Year Myles Garrett was traded to the Los Angeles Rams on June 1, with the Browns receiving 25-year-old two-time Pro Bowl defensive end Jared Verse. Garrett’s departure left the sixth-year pro Okwara as the elder statesmen among the defensive ends, although most of the returning reps belonged to younger players such as Alex Wright, Isaiah McGuire or Adin Huntington.
Browns coach Todd Monken spoke prior to practice ― and the Clowney news breaking ― about the defensive line depth and the speed with which he wanted to see it develop.
“First of all, I’m excited once we get the pads on, because we spent all spring without pads on them,” Monken said. “That’s when you really get an opportunity to evaluate the offensive line first, in terms of where we’re at which is going to be a critical component for everything we want to do offensively. Obviously, up front, I’ve got a lot of respect for Alex Wright and Isaiah McGuire, Julian and our interior guys are super explosive off the ball. So, I’m excited to see all of them.”
Clowney spent the 2021-22 seasons with the Browns before his time ended unceremoniously. He was essentially suspended for the 2022 season’s finale when the team sent him home from the facility the Friday before the game, then left him home for the trip to Pittsburgh.
That came from an interview Clowney did that week with Cleveland.com in which he made inflammatory remarks about several Browns-related subjects. Those remarks didn’t just talk about his future with the team — as he was an unrestricted free agent after the season — but also took shots at the Browns coaching staff at the time, particularly for what he perceived as favoritism in schemes designed for his teammate, Garrett.
“If I had any bad blood, I don’t think I would have signed to go back there for two years in a row,” Clowney told Baltimore reporters prior to a Week 4 game in Cleveland in 2023. “For everybody that thinks there was some bad blood, I would never sign and go back. … Like I said, I’m here now. I don’t play for them. There’s no reason to be talking about what happened there last year; that’s behind me. Let’s talk about this year. I’m just focused on winning games here and being the best Jadeveon Clowney I can be for the Baltimore Ravens.”
Clowney signed two one-year deals with the Browns. He finished with 65 tackles, 11 sacks, 23 quarterback hits, 15 tackles for loss, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery in 26 career games in Cleveland.
The former No. 1 overall pick in 2014 of the Houston Texans out of the University of South Carolina spent the 2026 season with the Dallas Cowboys. He had 8.5 sacks and 12 tackles for loss, plus a forced fumble and two fumble recoveies.
Clowney has played for seven teams since coming in the league: Texans, Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers and Cowboys. He has 66.5 career sacks, 16 forced fumbles, 11 fumble recoveries, one interception and 120 tackles for loss.
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Chris Easterling can be reached at ceasterling@thebeaconjournal.com. Read more about the Browns at www.beaconjournal.com/sports/browns. Follow him on X at @ceasterlingABJ. Sign up for Browns Insider newsletter at https://profile.beaconjournal.com/newsletters/browns-insider/
This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Jadeveon Clowney scheduled to visit Browns for potential reunion
Reporting by Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal / Akron Beacon Journal
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By Chris Easterling, Akron Beacon Journal | USA TODAY Network
