Clowney proved that point throughout last season with the Cowboys, recording 8 1/2 sacks and 41 tackles while appearing in 44 percent of the overall defensive snaps. His sack total was his highest since recording 9 1/2 sacks and 19 quarterback hits in 2023 with the Baltimore Ravens. He finished last season with 12 tackles for losses and 10 quarterback hits.

In his final game of the season against the New York Giants, it was vintage Clowney.

He was unblockable. The Giants’ offensive line had no answers for Clowney as he recorded six tackles, 2 1/2 sacks, one forced fumble and a fumble recovery. Clowney was a menace, hunting and chasing down quarterback Jaxson Dart and running back Devin Singletary all game.

Clowney wants to go through a full training camp to maximize his impact.

“Oh, man, it was great,” Clowney said. “I enjoyed Dallas, playing on prime time every week. It was a great experience, man, playing on Thanksgiving, Christmas. It was special for me. (1:08) A lot of people watching, a lot of families showing up. I had a great time playing for Dallas.”

Clowney has a background in 4-3 and 3-4 defensive schemes. He feels like he’s scheme-flexible and is a fit in any type of alignment as a disruptive force on the edge.

“I done played in every scheme, ain’t no scheme I can’t play in, 3-4 to 4-3 to whatever damn scheme that you had,” Clowney said. “I think I done proved that I can play in them all and not just play in them, but also dominate in them schemes and do my job at a high level. I just came off a great season, looking forward to doing it again and, you know, continue to prove to people and show the balance.

“For sure, man. They know I’m available. I walk in every year and play well on every scheme and every team I’ve been on. I want to continue to do that going into year 13. Showing people wrong and proving that I can still play at a high level. It don’t matter where I end up, where I play at, just know I’m coming to show you again and prove people wrong again.”

Clowney, who overcame microfracture knee surgery after being drafted out of South Carolina in 2014, played five seasons for the Texans. After a tough start to his career, he emerged as an impact player during his final three seasons in Houston.

As an unsigned franchise player who was unable to reach an agreement with the Texans on a long-term deal due to differing viewpoints about his financial value, Clowney saw his time in Houston end when former coach Bill O’Brien traded him to the Seattle Seahawks.

The Texans received a third-round draft pick and defensive players Barkevious Mingo and Jacob Martin in exchange for the former top overall pick.

After being named to three consecutive Pro Bowls and a combined 18 1/2 sacks in his final two seasons in Houston, Clowney was no longer a Texan.

Reflecting back on his time in Houston, Clowney has positive memories of a time where he gained knowlege from older players and developed as a pro.

“Oh, man, it was an experience,” said Clowney, former blue-chip recruit for the Gamecocks who was an All-American and All-Southeastern Conference selection. “I was young, didn’t know anything. I got hurt my first game. If I knew what I knew today, I probably wouldn’t have played no more after that and tried to heal up. So, I listened to the noise in the locker room and the people around me because it ended up leading to a longer rehab or injury that lingered for a long time.

‘Other than that, the people I met, the time I spent there was special because it was a great experience for me. I was young, and those guys took me up under their wing and showed me a lot and showed me a lot of ball and taught me the game and taught me how to develop a routine and just take care of myself. When I left there to branch off and go on to other places, I kind of kept it in the back of my head, a routine and how to take care of myself. Just being a pro, that’s how I ended up having a long career, playing 12 years in the National Football League."

The trade was a business decision for the Texans. Unable to agree on his value, Clowney and his representatives felt it was time for a fresh start, but it was the Texans’ call ultimately to trade him after durability issues nearly derailed his career before he settled into a strong methodology and best practices.

“I thank God every day because my career started off rocky,” Clowney said. “”The injuries piled up quick my rookie year, and I’m sure everybody counted me out. Looking back on it, I laugh now because I have defeated the odds and played 12 years.

“So, I don’t really care what nobody thinks, and I continue to play at a high level. I know what I can do on the field. So to me, it’s just continuing to prove people wrong and prove my family right that I had a lot left. I have fun, enjoyed this game a lot. It’s fun, extremely fun to me, and I don’t take it for granted.”

Clowney loved playing for the Ravens, a franchise with a strong tradition for defense highlighted by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Lewis and safety Ed Reed. Clowney recorded 9 1/2 sacks in 17 games, 15 starts, 43 tackles, and two forced fumbles. He had a sack of Kansas City Chiefs quarterback Patrick Mahomes in the AFC championship game.

They take pride in their defense,” Clowney said. “I enjoyed the locker room. The guys that was in the locker room was an extremely fun group of guys. A lot of leaders was on that team, a lot of guys that respect the game of football.

“They got a lot of good guys that I can relate to in that locker room. I’ll definitely be open to going back to Baltimore, playing with Lamar Jackson now. It was a great time for me.”

Fairchild is a longtime trainer for professional athletes, including J.J. Watt, D.J. Reader, Ka’imi Fairbairn, Grant Delpit, George Springer, Lance Berkman, Anthony Rendon, Monica Abbott, Tariq Woolen, Tremon Smith, Cam Lewis, David Johnson and Johnathan Joseph.

Fairchild has trained Clowney for six years.

“He’s a pro,” Fairchild said. “We know what it takes now to get him where he needs to be and I think the last handful of years have kind of shown that he understands what it takes to get his body in the right place. The Dallas Cowboys, again, a very productive season with them especially that last game and I know I’m watching that, taking a lot of pride in seeing here at the end of the season he’s playing his best football. How showing that how well he holds up when age is a question, he just turned 33 this spring and that becomes a question sometimes. The two obvious factors to consider are a drop in performance, which he kind of made that clear that’s not a problem this year and then health. I think the the numbers are all there and they speak for themselves.

“He’s been very healthy over the last five years. He wants to go to training camp. That does seem to be a bit of a misconception outwardly that he doesn’t have interest in training camp just because of the way his contractual offseasons have unfolded the last few years but he is bent on participating fully in an offseason program and in a full training camp. I think that is what you know teams would really probably benefit from knowing is that you’re getting a guy who wants to fully participate yeah he hasn’t been able to do that but also the ability to produce at the level that he has produced by just walking in the door in the fourth week of the regular season last year.”

Performance analysis and research displays how Clowney stacks up well against elite pass rushers.

A comparison of his snaps to sacks ratio, through the lens of sacks, pressures and hurries, is illuminating.

Clowney had four sacks per 100 pass rush snaps last season. Cleveland Browns star Myles Garrett, the NFL Defensive Player of the Year, was the only NFL player to have a better percentage with 4.9 sacks per 100 pass rush snaps.