Going into this past offseason, it was likely that LB Mack Wilson was no longer going to be a part of the Cleveland Browns. While trade talks last year included the team expecting a decent return for Wilson, it was not expected that they could get a meaningful return for him.
Quickly, GM Andrew Berry traded their distressed asset in Wilson for New England Patriots distressed asset Chase Winovich.
With the Patriots, Winovich went from having 5.5 sacks each of his first two seasons to having none in 2021. He only played in 14% of the team’s defensive snaps last year which was a sign, like Wilson in Cleveland, that his time was up in New England.
While Wilson starts over as the Patriots starting linebacker, Winovich joins Myles Garrett, Jadeveon Clowney and Alex Wright as a part of a talented and deep defensive end rotation. He’s also embraced the city after buying a house in his new hometown:
Video: Tales from Training Camp: #Browns DE Chase Winovich is just a Dawg who loves dogs pic.twitter.com/WWClRVqV2L
— Camryn Justice (@camijustice) September 2, 2022
A cute story of puppies also included Winovich’s desire to give back to the community and experience all the local food he can.
As a pending free agent, it is interesting that the former Michigan Wolverine decided to buy a house in the area. Clowney joins Winovich as free-agents-to-be, with Garrett locked up for years and two rookies seen as the future of the position.
A big year could earn Winovich a contract extension with the Browns and even more time to invest in the community and build his dog pound while being cheered on by the Dawg Pound.
