Chase Winovich’s role in the New England defense diminished greatly in 2021 and now the Patriots have moved on from the former 2019 third-round pick out of Michigan.
According to NFL Network, New England has reached a deal to trade Winovich to the Browns in exchange for linebacker Mack Wilson.
Like Winovich, Wilson is heading into his fourth NFL season in 2022. The 6-1, 233-pounder entered the league as a fifth-round pick in Cleveland, where he’s started 28 of the 43 games he played in over three seasons, half those starts coming in his rookie season.
Wilson saw his playing time drop in each of the last three seasons, going from 88-percent of snaps as a rookie down to just 21-percent last fall. He did play in more than half the Browns special teams snaps in 2021.
Winovich’s career in New England seemingly got off to a solid start. He notched 5.5 sacks in a reserve role as a rookie and then matched that number a year later while starting nine of the 16 games he played, seeing 58 percent of the defensive snaps. But last fall he played just 14 percent of snaps for the Patriots retooled defense, seen as little more than a limited sub-rusher. There had been trade rumors around Winovich dating back to last summer.
Wilson joins Patriots linebacker depth chart that’s in a bit of an overhaul this offseason. New England already cut veteran Kyle Van Noy, while Ja’Whuan Bentley, Dont’a Hightower and Jamie Collins are currently free agents.
