The Arizona Cardinals’ 2024 season didn’t end as expected after the team briefly led their division midway through the year. Once considered the worst team in the NFC West, the return of a healthy Kyler Murray proved there’s still potential for a strong performance moving forward, but it was clear the defense needed some help.
With upgrades a necessity on that side of the football, Arizona has been hard at work to rebuild the roster in a defensive vein. However, one analyst believes they could supercharge that rebuild by signing a former No. 1 overall pick of the Houston Texans.
Cardinals Predicted To Sign All-Pro Edge
Last year, the Cardinals ranked 27th on PFSN’s Defense+ metric. An awful showing all year long was highlighted by the lack of talent beyond Budda Baker.
Arizona finished with the worst pass success rate of any defense. They weren’t much better against the run, ranking 28th in success rate. That’s a far bigger reason why the Cardinals stumbled after their 6-4 start, as adding talent to the pass rush became a big offseason priority.
The additions of Josh Sweat, Calais Campbell, Dalvin Tomlinson, and rookie Darius Robinson should raise their ceiling somewhat. However, Sports Illustrated’s Gilberto Manzano
“Clowney, 32, is no longer a starting edge rusher, but he can help in obvious passing situations as a rotational player,” Manzano wrote. “The Cardinals should pursue Clowney to continue building depth on the defensive line. Clowney could come off the bench to help Josh Sweat and Darius Robinson, the 2024 first-round pick who had growing pains as a rookie.”
Jadeveon Clowney wants the rest of the league to know he’s still got it after being released by the Panthers on Thursday pic.twitter.com/VZllkIrOAz
— Sports Illustrated (@SInow) May 9, 2025
The Panthers moved on from Clowney after adding Nic Scourton and Princely Umanmielen on Day 2 of the 2025 NFL Draft. He had signed a two-year, $20 million contract in March 2024 and was due $10 million in 2025. He started 14 games and recorded 5.5 sacks, 46 total tackles, 11 quarterback hits, and four pass deflections. Cutting the 32-year-old saved the Panthers $7.8 million against the cap in 2025.
Having started 14 games in 2024, Clowney still represents a solid option for teams in need of pass-rush help. The 32-year-old was the No. 1 overall pick of the Texans in the 2014 NFL Draft. He spent his first five seasons in Houston, making three straight Pro Bowls from 2016 to 2018 before being released in 2019. Clowney has become a journeyman since, suiting up for the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, and Panthers, and now the next could potentially be the Cardinals.