Texans not giving up on Gamecocks’ Jadeveon Clowney

Two years after making him the No. 1 overall pick in the NFL Draft, the Houston Texans are standing behind Jadeveon Clowney despite the former Gamecock’s limited production.

“I don’t know if he’s been inconsistent on the field,” Texans general manger Rick Smith said Thursday. “When he’s been on the field, he’s been pretty disruptive and pretty impactful. It’s just he has suffered some injuries.”

Clowney, who has 47 tackles and 4.5 sacks in two seasons, has been limited mostly by knee and back injuries in Houston but also has struggled with an ankle injury.

“I think he’s already had as many (injuries) as he needs to have. So just from the standpoint of luck, hopefully the guy has had his share of injures and that he will have an opportunity to play and play for an extended amount of time,” Smith said. “What you see when you see him on the field, you see productive play. It’s not like he’s getting hurt because he’s not working. It’s just the nature of the game.”

-- Josh Kendall

This story was originally published February 25, 2016 at 5:32 PM with the headline "Texans not giving up on Gamecocks’ Jadeveon Clowney."