CLEVELAND — The Cleveland Browns have reportedly made their second trade of the offseason. As first reported by the NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, the Browns are sending linebacker Mack Wilson to the New England Patriots in exchange for linebacker/defensive end Chase Winovich.
Wilson was originally selected by the Browns in the fifth round of the 2019 NFL Draft and spent the first three seasons of his NFL career in Cleveland. The Alabama product entered the NFL with an impressive training camp and decent rookie year, totaling 82 tackles to go along with a forced fumble, seven passes defensed, a sack, and an interception in 2019.
From there, however, it was downhill.
In 2020, Wilson was underwhelming, playing in 13 games for the Browns, finishing with 39 tackles and a pair of passes defensed. He saw his playing time drastically cut, too. In 2019 he played 88 percent of the defensive snaps for the Browns, compared to just 43 percent in 2020.
The Browns essentially replaced Wilson by drafting linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah in the 2021 NFL Draft. Throughout the year, Wilson’s playing time went down, and he ultimately played just 21 percent of the team’s defensive snaps. He did contribute on special teams, playing 52 percent of the special teams plays last season.
As for Winovich, he’s set to enter his fourth year in the NFL after playing in college at the University of Michigan. He, like Wilson, was a part of the 2019 NFL Draft, going with the 77th overall pick to the Patriots.
Winovich had a strong first two seasons in the NFL, playing in all 16 games and racking up 5.5 sacks in each season. His third season wasn’t the same. He played in 13 of New England’s games and failed to record a sack. He played just 14 percent of the defensive snaps for the Patriots after playing 58 percent of the defensive snaps in his second year.
Winovich may be able to carve out a niche on the Browns as a situational pass rusher and special teams player. He turns 27 years old next month.