Houston Texans head coach Bill O’Brien spoke with Tiffany Blackmon of the NFL Network while at the NFL Owner’s meetings in Arizona. One of the topics that came up was the first overall pick in 2014, outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney.
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Clowney was supposed to be a second stud pass rusher for the team and take pressure off defensive end J.J. Watt. Injuries limited Clowney to only four games in 2014 and a total of only seven tackles.
After having to undergo microfracture surgery, which can have a devastating impact on a player’s career, Clowney has been working hard to rehab for a return.
O’Brien sounded a little optimistic that the return could happen sooner than many expected.
"“Hopefully he’ll be able to get out on the field sometime during training camp,” head coach Bill O’Brien said . “Maybe at the beginning of training camp if he continues to work at the pace that he’s been working.”"
Having Clowney back on the field would be a huge plus for the team that had only 38 total sacks on the season in 2014. With 20.5 of those coming from Watt alone, it would be nice for the team to have someone else to strike some fear into the opposing offensive linemen.