Cleveland Browns Free Agent Review: DE Chase Winovich

Winovich was bothered by a hamstring injury for much of last season.

Photo by Nick Cammett/Diamond Images via Getty Images

With the Browns having almost zero interest in re-signing Jadeveon Clowney, their attention turns to their next highest-profile defensive end set to hit free agency: DE Chase Winovich.

How and When He Joined the Browns: In March 2022, the Browns shipped LB Mack Wilson to the New England Patriots in exchange for Winovich. Winovich, a third-round pick by the Patriots in 2019, was entering the final year of his rookie deal.

Productivity Level Last Season: Winovich missed much of training camp with a hamstring injury. Then, in late-September, he was placed on injured reserve with the same injury and wasn’t activated from IR until mid-November. He ended up playing in 8 games for Cleveland, logging 20 tackles, 1 sack, and 1 pass defended.

Why Keeping Him Could Make Sense: Although Winovich was banged up last season for Cleveland, he didn’t miss much time in his first three seasons with New England. From 2019-2020, he had 5.5 sacks per season. I don’t anticipate him getting a big contract somewhere, so he could be an affordable option for the Browns to preserve some depth along the defensive line.

What the Browns Should Do: I wouldn’t mind having Winovich back as a rotational player, but I also have it in the back of my head that Jim Schwartz is the Browns’ new defensive coordinator, and one of his primary tasks is going to involve re-tooling the defensive line. In that regard, he would have no allegiance to a Winovich vs. any other backup defensive linemen who might be a free agent. Therefore, I’m fine letting Schwartz give his input to GM Andrew Berry, which may not involve a return for Winovich.

Let us know below whether or not the team should try to re-sign DE Chase Winovich.