The Green Bay Packers need help at edge defender, and CBS analyst Bryan DeArdo believes the best available free agent at the position belongs in Green Bay. DeArdo recently published a free agent matchmaking exercise pairing the top remaining NFL free agents with new teams, and he identified the Packers as the ideal destination for Jadeveon Clowney, the former first overall pick who remains unsigned as training camp approaches.

The connection makes sense. Green Bay edge rusher Micah Parsons is expected to miss the first month of the regular season while recovering from an ACL injury. The Packers have developmental pieces at the position, but relying on unproven players while a core defender sits out could cost the team early in a season where the roster is built to compete.

Why the Packers are a perfect destination for Clowney

DeArdo wrote that Clowney would fit on any of the NFC North’s four teams but singled out Green Bay as the strongest match:

“Clowney would be a good fit on any of the NFC North’s four teams. The Packers, however, might make the most sense given what they already have on defense and the fact that Micah Parsons’s knee injury will likely sideline him at the start of the season.

“While he isn’t Parsons, the 33-year-old Clowney is an accomplished pass rusher who has continued to produce after turning 30. Last season, he tallied 8.5 sacks for the Cowboys despite appearing in only 13 games and starting in just six.” — Bryan DeArdo

That production track record is the selling point. Clowney generated 71 pressures and 25 stops for the Baltimore Ravens in 2023, followed by 44 pressures and 24 stops with the Carolina Panthers in 2024. Last season in Dallas, he added 40 pressures, 27 stops, and an 80.6 pass rush grade via PFF. The consistency across three different schemes over three seasons is notable for a player now 33 years old.

Versatility, scheme fit, and cost

Clowney also played as an interior rusher and over-tackle earlier in his career, but over the past few seasons he’s played almost exclusively as a true edge defender. That’s exactly what Jonathan Gannon’s defense demands. Green Bay needs a player who can win off the edge and generate pressure from the outside linebacker spot while Parsons recovers.

Clowney signed a one-year, $3.45 million deal with Dallas last season. Per Spotrac, his projected market value now sits at one year and $5.7 million. The Packers have the cap space and financial flexibility to absorb that number without disrupting their long-term plans.

The biggest drawback to signing Clowney is the impact on younger players fighting for reps. Barryn Sorrell, Collin Oliver, Brenton Cox, and rookie Dani Dennis-Sutton all need opportunities to develop. Adding a veteran starter could limit their growth.

But the Packers have a roster ready to compete now. Last season, when Parsons went down, the defense regressed significantly. Green Bay cannot afford to repeat that experience during the first month of 2026 and expect improvement from the unit as a whole. The edge defender position is too important to Gannon’s scheme to leave it in the hands of unproven talent if a productive, affordable veteran is available.

The Packers will likely wait until the start of training camp to evaluate the young players before making a decision. That timeline works in their favor, because Clowney has made a habit of signing near or during training camp throughout the later stages of his career, having bounced from the Houston Texans to the Seattle Seahawks, Tennessee Titans, Cleveland Browns, Baltimore Ravens, Carolina Panthers, and Dallas Cowboys over the years. At his projected price, Clowney represents a low-risk addition for a defense that cannot afford to start slow.