Houston Texans: Who is Chase Winovich and what does he bring to the team

Chase Winovich was most recently with the Cleveland Browns but was limited due to an injury that landed him on IR in late 2021. He was playing for the New England Patriots at the time and was traded to the Browns in March 2022.

Winovich was not activated from IR until November 19, 2022, and played eight games, starting two for the Browns. He was in on only 176 snaps, producing 20 tackles, only one sack, and one tackle for a loss. PFF was not kind, giving him an overall grade of 61.5; however, his run defense scored a 69.5 PFF grade, which is where the Texans need to improve.

His best season came in 2020 with the Patriots, recording 48 tackles, six for a loss, and 5.5 sacks, with another 12 quarterback hits. He also started nine games that season, most of any season thus far in his career. Can Winovich regain that level of performance?

Where does Chase Winovich come from?

Winovich was a third-round selection of the New England Patriots, 77th overall in the 2019 NFL Draft. He played his college ball at the University of Michigan and was a standout linebacker. He led all Big-Ten defenders in 2017 with 19 tackles for a loss.

His career as a Wolverine produced 166 total tackles, 18.5 sacks, and 43 tackles for a loss. In 2017 he was voted second-team All-Conference. As a senior, he was a third-team All-American and first-team All-Big Ten.

What does Winovich bring to the Houston Texans?

As mentioned previously, Winovich's run defense is easily his strongest asset and this will serve him well in Houston, where the Texans were abysmal against the run. They allowed nearly 2,900 yards for a per-carry average of five yards.

Winovich also brings leadership and is a versatile defender, having played both defensive end and linebacker with the Patriots and Browns. He'll have a chance to compete for the starting role or be a solid role player providing depth on both the defensive line and linebackers.