Chase Winovich returned to the Patriots on Sunday after being on PUP since the beginning of training camp.
The outside linebacker reportedly was a full participant in Monday's joint session with the Eagles, but speaking Tuesday morning via video conference, Bill Belichick indicated he has a long way to go.
“Well, right now Chase needs to just start to get his reps back on the field," he said. "We’ll bring him back. He’s rehabbed. He’s been cleared to practice. He’s off PUP. So, we’ll just take it day-by-day and depending on what we’re doing that day and so forth work him into the areas we feel like he’s ready for. Obviously, he needs to work in every area because he hasn’t done much. We’ll just try and catch him up the best we can. He’ll work hard. He’ll do what he can and we’ll just take it day-by-day.”
This answer was in response to a question of when he's at his best, what does he bring to the team?
That doesn't exactly give off much confidence in the third-year player. It will be interesting to see what his role is this season, especially with all the players the Patriots have who play roles similar to Winovich.
And missing extended time is never a good thing.
We'll see how things play out in the coming weeks, but don't be surprised if Winovich is playing a lesser role than expected given how much time he missed.