3 Browns free agents that could follow Joe Woods to New Orleans
By Randy Gurzi
1. Chase Winovich, EDGE
One player who was a bit of a disappointment in 2022 was Chase Winovich. A former third-round pick for the New England Patriots, Winovich was added in exchange for Mack Wilson. That move seemed to be a win for everyone involved but unfortunately, Winovich spent much of the year sidelined.
He wound up playing in just eight games and had 14 tackles with one sack. Still, he was credited with six quarterback pressures by Pro Football Reference, which showed why Cleveland was interested in bringing him in as the No. 3 EDGE rusher behind Myles Garrett and Jadeveon Clowney.
Heading into 2023, Cleveland should try and retain Winovich — if for nothing more than insurance. They’re hopeful Alex Wright can become a full-time starter but he hasn’t proven it yet. They’ll also still need more depth and without a Round 1 pick, it will be hard to find an impactful pass rusher without ignoring another need.
Having said that, there’s no guarantee the Browns will try and bring him back. There’s also no indication of whether Jim Schwartz is a fan of his.
Should Winovich wind up hitting free agency, the Saints could be a soft landing spot for him. They have two defensive ends becoming free agents in Marcus Davenport and Tanoh Kpassagnon. They’re set with Cam Jordan, Payton Turner, and Carl Granderson but could use some depth as well to replace the outgoing free agents.
Winovich could provide them that while also agreeing to a team-friendly one-year deal in an attempt to put 2022 behind him.
