Florham Park – With the calf injury to defensive tackle Quinnen Williams, defensive end Michael Clemons could get some work inside.
And some would argue that defensive tackle is actually a better position for Clemons than defensive end.
A sculpted 6-5, 290-pounder, Clemons is a powerful man with long arms who could be a challenge for guards to deal with.
At end, while he plays with a great motor and impressive toughness, his lack of top-shelf speed and twitch (not his fault) makes it hard for him to take the edge on offensive tackles, forcing him to mainly rely on a bull rush.
At defensive tackle, that bull rush could be even more effective than at end. There is no edge to deal with on the inside.
Also, if fast running backs run sweeps toward the sidelines, sometimes it’s hard for him to run them down because of his speed limitations. It’s not a lack of effort, but more a lack of ideal defensive end speed. That wouldn’t be an issue on the inside.
So perhaps moving Clemons inside to defensive tackle full-time, whether Williams is injured or not, is the way to go.
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