Though the Patriots continue to largely sit still through the 2022 NFL free agency period in terms of signing players, they’re still apparently open for business. Their player-for-player swap of Chase Winovich for Cleveland reserve linebacker Mack Wilson stands out as their splashiest move so far this week.
Trading Winovich served the Patriots in two ways. First, the deal offloads a player with an expiring contract who simply wasn’t doing much in New England. Winovich registered just four pressures all of last season, didn’t have a sack, and got buried on the depth chart to the point where he was a healthy scratch for the Patriots’ lone playoff game.