Houston Texans coach Bill O'Brien has no clue when Jadeveon Clowney will report for work this season. Frankly, the coach doesn't seem too worried about it at all.
Joining NFL Network's Good Morning Football Tuesday, O'Brien said he wasn't aware of Clowney's plans.
"I don't know. I really don't," O'Brien said when asked when Clowney might report. "I know he's working hard. He's out there working out ... he's in shape. He's doing everything he needs to do to be ready to play. But ultimately that's up to him (when he reports). When he wants to show up, he'll show up, and he'll be ready to go. He's a professional. When that happens, we'll move forward with that. But I have no idea when he'll be here. I can't predict that."
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport previously reported that Clowney planned to report after the team's third preseason game. We'll see if that timeline holds.
The bigger takeaway here is that O'Brien's response underscores everything we've heard regarding the situation: That there is no underlying animosity from either side. Clowney is simply exercising his right to skip training camp without being fined and will show up to be ready for work once he reports.
The pass rusher knows with a big season, he's in for a huge payday in free agency next year. The Texans know that with a big season from Clowney, they could go deep into the postseason. Both sides see the positives of playing out the situation. So long as he's ready by Week 1, Clowney's report date is superfluous, as O'Brien's response indicates.
