The New England Patriots have agreed to trade edge rusher Chase Winovich to the Cleveland Browns in exchange for linebacker Mack Wilson, according to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network. This trade will be made official at the start of the new league year on Wednesday at 4 p.m. ET.
Winovich spent his first three seasons with the Patriots after the club drafted him in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft out of Michigan. This past season, the 26-year-old did seem to take a step back in his development as New England elected to make him more of a rotational player rather than a featured pice of the defense. In 2020, he started in nine of his 16 games that season and played a career-high 58% of the defensive snaps. Last year, Winovich appeared in 13 games (no starts) and logged just 14% of the defensive snaps. In his three-year stint with New England, Winovich finished with 11 sacks, 85 tackles and 23 quarterback hits over 45 games (nine starts).
While this move won't be official until the new league year opens up, Winovich has already made note of his departure from the Patriots on social media. saying: "I am so grateful for my experience in New England. The love, spirit, and support have been absolutely unreal. This entire region will always hold the most special of places in my heart. The time is now for the next chapter of my journey."
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As for Wilson, he is a former fifth-round draft choice of the Browns back in 2019 after a collegiate career at Alabama under Nick Saban. Similar to Winovich, Wilson was also being used as a rotational player in Cleveland's defense after a promising start to his career. During his rookie season, Wilson started 14 of his 16 games played, totaled 82 tackles, and had seven pass breakups. After playing 88% of the defensive snaps that year, his playing time has decreased in each of his three seasons to a low of 21% in 2021.
On both sides, this trade could be looked at as depth additions that could help cushion the blow of some free-agent departures. In Cleveland, pass rusher Jadeveon Clowney is a free agent, while the Patriots may need to replace linebackers Dont'a Hightower, Ja'Whaun Bentley, and Jamie Collins, who are all on the free-agent market. New England also released Kyle Van Noy earlier this offseason.
