Clowney: Vrabel was key factor in choosing to sign with Titans

Jadeveon Clowney may have waited until a week before the NFL's first Sunday slate to sign as a free agent, but the pass-rusher was simply prioritizing the best fit for his game.

With the Tennessee Titans, he believes a match with head coach Mike Vrabel is the perfect one.

"I knew when I was with Vrabel in Houston, I was second-team All-Pro and (made) three Pro Bowls," Clowney told reporters Thursday, according to ESPN's Turron Davenport. "I said to myself, 'I think I can do that here in this system that worked so well.' Mike Vrabel is one of the smartest coaches I ever had.

"He knows football and how to put guys in position to make plays. That's what he did in Houston and when I got here. He is already lining me all over the place and I get to keep making plays. He believes that I am a playmaker. With Mike Vrabel, I made way more plays than I did when I was in Seattle."

The three-time Pro Bowler signed a one-year deal with Tennessee reportedly worth up to $15 million, reuniting him with his former assistant coach. Vrabel was the Houston Texans' linebackers coach from 2014-16 and their defensive coordinator in 2017 during Clowney's tenure.

The Texans traded the former first overall pick to the Seattle Seahawks prior to last season after a five-year stint with Houston. Clowney had three sacks with the Seahawks in 2019, his lowest output since his rookie campaign.

Playing in a different defensive scheme than Seattle's, the 27-year-old expressed excitement at the prospect of being deployed in the Titans' aggressive unit.

"If I know one thing about Mike Vrabel, whatever team he has, he's going to make sure they play hard and fly to the ball," he said. "I need to be a part of something like that at this stage in my career."