Jadeveon Clowney, the Houston Texans rookie who suffered a knee injury in a week one game against the Washington Redskins, returned to play Sunday for the team’s 23-7 win over the Cleveland Browns and said he “felt great” after the game.
Seven weeks after incurring his injury, the outside linebacker’s return wasn’t earth-shattering, but he did have several key plays, including two tackles. His teammate, J.J. Watt, filled in the gaps as Clowney gingerly returned to play.
Despite a less than stellar performance, Clowney said he was thrilled to suit up once again for his team.
“I felt great. I moved around like I wanted to,” said Clowney following the game. “I could have been better but I felt better than I did against Tennessee. I had a lot more confidence in my knee.”
Although Clowney may not have been 100 percent and had little impact during the game, the rest of the team’s defense held three Browns running backs to 58 yards on 24 carries. His tackle against former Texan Ben Tate resulted in a loss of nine yards for the Browns.
How many snaps did Brian Cushing + Jadeveon Clowney get in Cleveland?
Full snap counts HERE: http://t.co/yzdftMYO9g pic.twitter.com/4RS10wW4px
— Houston Texans (@HoustonTexans) November 17, 2014
Clowney did have one brief appearance in the week eight game against the Tennessee Titans, but sat out week nine’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles due to illness.
Texans coach Bill O’Brien said that with Clowney‘s return, he is counting on the former South Carolina standout to demonstrate some consistency during the final six regular-season games.
“Being able to do it week-to-week, day-to-day,” O’Brien said Monday at NRG Stadium. “He’s a disruptive player when he gets in there, and he’s got the ability to really disrupt plays. When he understands his role and what his job is in the different packages … and keeps getting a better understanding of those things, he’s going to be more and more disruptive as he goes.”