Chiefs called ‘natural landing spot’ for Jadeveon Clowney

The Kansas City Chiefs have been called a “natural landing spot” for Houston Texans pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney this offseason.

Weeks after trading away or releasing two of their biggest (and most expensive) pass rushing threats, the Kansas City Chiefs are being named as the “natural landing spot” for a new expensive import in Jadeveon Clowney.

The idea of bringing a high-profile pass rusher is an interesting proposition for the Chiefs given their offseason of going cheap at the position. The Chiefs already jettisoned outside linebacker Dee Ford to the San Francisco 49ers for a second round pick in 2020. That move followed the release of Justin Houston, who recently inked a two-year deal with the Indianapolis Colts.

Still Chad Forbes insists that it’s a possibility based on what he’s hearing from the league’s owner meetings.

Clowney is an interesting case for an acquisition for a team like the Chiefs, who could use a truly disruptive anchor for Steve Spagnuolo’s defense. Yet Clowney has 18.5 sacks over the last two years, the exact same amount as Justin Houston—a player who was often thought of as being on the decline because of the shadow of a mammoth contract and the 22-sack season.

Yet Clowney is only 26-years-old and could project as a much better pass rusher over the next few years. A change of scenery could help things, but Clowney has also been dogged for injuries and inconsistency in much the same way as Ford has in K.C. Would the Chiefs really just trade one set of question marks for another?

Any trade for Clowney would require the Chiefs to part with significant draft assets in a trade to the Texans as well as a sizable financial commitment to the player. That’s not to say it won’t happen, but with an especially deep draft class at this very position, some of the numbers seem to counter the idea of a “natural landing spot.”