Jadeveon Clowney Is Key To Houston Texans Defensive Potential

Nov 23, 2014; Houston, TX, USA; Houston Texans outside linebacker Jadeveon Clowney (90) in action against the Cincinnati Bengals at NRG Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Matthew Emmons-USA TODAY Sports

While the Seattle Seahawks and Kansas City Chiefs keep getting talked up as the likely best NFL defenses going into 2015, a possible sleeping giant is about ready awaken down in the Lonestar State.

The Houston Texans already possess the best defensive player in football with J.J. Watt. That gives them respectability right away. Now add in a host of recent additions including Vince Wilfork, Rahim Moore and 1st round pick Kevin Johnson and there is reason to believe this unit is going to frustrate a lot of quarterbacks.

However, in order for this unit to reach the heights it’s truly capable of, it will require another pass rusher opposite Watt. That is where second-year man Jadeveon Clowney comes into play. After a rookie season that last just four games, he was shut down to have surgery on microfractures in his knee.

Since then some have wondering how he would recover from a problem that has dogged him since college. They got their answer when Texans team physician Dr. Walt Lowe gave an update.

"“Lowe recently told Forbes.com the pass rusher “looks spectacular,” seven months removed from microfracture surgery. The doctor added there is no hard timetable for Clowney’s return.”"

The goal for Lowe and the Texans is to get Clowney back to what he was prior to the knee injury, when he was making highlight-reel plays like this.

Look around the league and into its history and the very best defenses always had not one but two great pass rushers at the heart of it. That was why Houston made Clowney the #1 overall pick in 2014. He has that kind of talent and the idea of pairing him with Watt, who just turned 26-years old could set this defense up for years to come, and maybe finally give them the ammunition needed to make life miserable for Andrew Luck.

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