Browns agree to swap Mack Wilson for Chase Winovich in trade with Patriots

Sometimes NFL players can find greater opportunity with a change of scenery.

Linebacker Mack Wilson and edge defender Chase Winovich could be examples.

The Browns agreed Tuesday to trade Wilson to the New England Patriots for Winovich, a person familiar with the deal confirmed.

NFL Network first reported the move involving Wilson, a fifth-round selection in 2019, and Winovich, a third-round choice in the same draft.

The trade cannot be finalized until 4 p.m. Wednesday, when free agency officially kicks off.

In three NFL seasons, Winovich has started nine of his 45 regular-season games and has 85 tackles, including 11 sacks, 23 quarterback hits, an interception, two passes defensed and a forced fumble.

Winovich had 5½ sacks in each of his first two seasons out of the University of Michigan but none last year. He tied for first in the NFL with 24 hurries in 2020, according to pro-football-reference.com.

He didn't start at all in 2021 and played just 10.5% of the defensive snaps. The Patriots made him inactive for their wild-card playoff loss to the Buffalo Bills in January.

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Wilson started 28 of the 43 games in which he appeared with the Browns and had 163 tackles, including a sack, nine passes defensed, an interception, a forced fumble and two quarterback hits.

Last season, Wilson became mostly a special teams player for the Browns. He played just 17.3% of the defensive snaps.

A decreased role for Wilson came as no surprise, though, because the Browns traded up in the second round last year to draft Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, who plays the same weakside linebacker position as Wilson.

Winovich could fill the No. 3 edge rusher role for the Browns. Takk McKinley held it last season, but he suffered a ruptured Achilles tendon on Dec. 20 against the Las Vegas Raiders and is set to hit the open market Wednesday.

All-Pro Myles Garrett is the only starting defensive lineman under contract with the Browns for next season. The team wants to bring back fellow starting end Jadeveon Clowney, but he'll hit the open market Wednesday along with veteran defensive tackle Malik Jackson, who probably won't be re-signed. Malik McDowell, the other starting defensive tackle last season, won't be retained as an exclusive rights free agent because of his arrest in January.

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The Browns have expressed some interest in Los Angeles Rams eight-time Pro Bowl edge rusher Von Miller, but they're not believed to be actively pursuing him at this point, league sources said.

The Browns and former Jacksonville Jaguars defensive tackle Taven Bryan agreed to a one-year contract Monday evening worth as much as $5 million with incentives, a source said. Bryan is a former first-round pick, drafted 29th overall by the Jaguars in 2018.

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Nate Ulrich can be reached at nulrich@thebeaconjournal.com.

This article originally appeared on Akron Beacon Journal: Browns trade Mack Wilson to Patriots for Chase Winovich