AsylumGuido

Why the New Orleans Saints Are the Perfect Fit for Jadeveon Clowney

MAURICE MOTON
AUGUST 22, 2020

The New Orleans Saints' quest for a Super Bowl title and Jadeveon Clowney's desire to make good money on a contender seem like a perfect match for the 2020 season.

Saints offensive tackle Terron Armstead made a clear statement about the team's expectation for the upcoming term, per NFL.com's Kevin Patra.

"It's gotta be Super Bowl or bust in all honesty," Armstead said. "That's it. It's not really anything else past that. It's Super Bowl or bust. We don't get to the big dance, it's a failure of a season. That's it."

For consecutive offseasons, Drew Brees has contemplated retirement. At 41 years old, he's going into what could be his last campaign.

Unless the Saints think backup quarterbacks Taysom Hill or Jameis Winston can lead them deep into the playoffs, the front office should load the roster while the team has an open Super Bowl window, with the all-time leader in passing yards (77,416) and touchdowns (547) under center for at least another year.

Despite fielding the third-highest scoring offense in 2019, New Orleans signed Emmanuel Sanders to fill a void at the No. 2 wide receiver spot. On the defensive side of the ball, the Saints ranked third in sacks (51) and second in quarterback pressures (179). Fifteen players recorded at least one sack.

Yet, for the Saints, only Cameron Jordan topped seven sacks in 2019. Fellow defensive end Marcus Davenport was second on the team with six, but he missed three games because of a Lisfranc injury.

Although Davenport made significant strides last season, he's undergone three surgeries (thumb, toe and foot) in two years. Because of his absences and a rotation on the right side of the line, the UTSA product has played less than 51 percent of the defensive snaps in both of his campaigns.

The Saints would like to see Davenport finish the upcoming term healthy while developing into a complete defender, though that's a shaky expectation after he's missed six games.

Skeptics may question whether Clowney's presence would stunt Davenport's growth. On a positive note, the three-time Pro Bowler would strengthen the defensive line's rotation with his ability to pressure quarterbacks and seal the edge against the run.



Read the rest here ...

“The pessimist sees difficulty in every opportunity. The optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty.” — Winston Churchill