Philadelphia Eagles: 3 Less-expensive DE options than Jadeveon Clowney

Here’s the skinny. Everson Griffen turns 33 years old three days before Christmas. That has and will turn everybody off, but if there’s a large contingent of the fan base that’s on board with bringing LeSean McCoy back and there’s this strong feeling that Jason Peters could be back on what feels like his fifth one-year deal with the “Birds”, then why not consider this guy?

Oh, and by the way, that Peters’ reference was an exaggeration. We all know how fans tend to get sensitive. Anyway, back to Griffen.

He missed over a quarter of 2018’s season with mental health issues, but he did a decent job of bouncing back and only missing one game in 2019. Thankfully, it appears that he’s worked through what was bothering him, but on a lighter note, it’s not like Philly’s defensive ends are present for every game anyway.

9.5 sacks and 47 total tackles were the results of 17 games with the Minnesota Vikings in 2019, including the playoffs. You can argue that Griffen will never be the guys who notched 12 sacks and 58 total tackles in 2014 or 13 sacks and 45 total tackles in 2017 again, but in a defensive end rotation for Philly where he’s only asked to contribute in third-down situations, he could thrive.

Think about it. Clowney is more of a run stopper anyway, and just like the other three guys on this list, Griffen could save the “Birds” some coin on a one-year deal.