The Miami Dolphins had it done. The team’s flirtation with the Houston Texans over defensive end Jadeveon Clowney had finally paid off — the two sides had struck a deal to send Clowney to South Florida for Brian Flores’ first season in Miami. That is, until Clowney got word of where his final destination would be for his season playing under the franchise tag. And as Clowney recently reflected to NFL.com’s Mike Silver, he wanted absolutely no part of the Dolphins’ rebuild.
Silver’s spotlight on Clowney’s presence in Seattle was released this morning, at it sure hurts to read for anyone who was hopeful that Clowney would have come along and committed to the process in South Florida.
A deal that was spun as good for all sides: except in Clowney’s eyes, spending a year in Miami was anything but good for him. It’s the downside to the Dolphins’ commitment to a rebuild and will surely be drawn back upon at the first sign of trouble this spring, if the Dolphins happen to miss on any of their preferred free agent targets. Those who will tell you the sky is falling will bemoan that this is what happens when you commit to tanking your season.
Although then again, they’ll probably be the same people we hear now griping about the Dolphins winning too much.
The unfortunate reality is that the Dolphins and Jadeveon Clowney were a right pair at the wrong time. Miami’s calendar and groundwork had to revert back to square one, it was impossible to ignore the issues at hand with this roster. And in the long-run, Miami will be better for it. Even if that means they didn’t get their target in Clowney.
Clowney, by the way, is scheduled to be an unrestricted free agent this winter — something to keep an eye on as March rolls around.
