Breaking News: Houston Texans sign DE Chase Winovich

Houston’s at it again: the Houston Texans are signing former New England Patriots/ Cleveland Browns DE Chase Winovich:

Entering his fifth year in the NFL, Winovich, 27, has appeared in 53 games with 11 starts, accumulated 105 tackles, 11 for loss, 26 QB hits, and 12 sacks. Winovich was only sparingly used at Cleveland in 2022, tallying only 178 snaps on the season, but started his career hot as a pass-rusher in New England. Recently, he’s seen steady improvement as a run-defender, ending the 2022 season with the majority of his snaps coming against the run, with his week 16 and 17 PFF run-defense (RDEF) grades at 69.9 and 70.1, respectively. But, despite the early production, he certainly fits the Texans’ mold of a Caserio acolyte that hasn’t done much of note yet but could be in the running for a breakout year in Houston. Stop me if you’ve heard that one before.

Winovich, unlike many of the other Caserio signings, had a remarkable collegiate career at Michigan, and even started nine games for the Patriots in his second year (5.5 sacks, 48 tackles, 6 TFLs, 12 QB hits). There’s reason to believe that he can return to solid production again, but it certainly hasn’t happened recently. Whether or not this means Houston is out of re-signing Ogbonnia Okoronkwo has yet to be seen, but it likely improves the chances of him signing elsewhere.

What do you think of the Winovich signing? Will the former Michigan Wolverine have a career renaissance with DeMeco Ryans in Houston, or will be another forgettable defensive lineman that’ll be released by 2024? Let us know in the comments!