Former Patriots Defender Released By Texans On NFL Cutdown Day

Former New England Patriots edge rusher Chase Winovich looked to rejuvenate his career with the Houston Texans this season.

That goal just got much harder for the Michigan product.

Winovich was one of the many players the Texans released Tuesday as NFL teams had to trim their rosters to 53 players as part of the league’s cutdown day.

Winovich signed with the Texans in free agency in March but didn’t do much to stand out during the preseason to warrant Houston giving him a roster spot. The 6-foot-3, 250-pounder recorded one sack during the preseason, which came against the Patriots.

The 28-year-old got off to a promising start in his NFL career after the Patriots selected Winovich in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. He recorded 5 1/2 sacks in each of his first two seasons but then didn’t tally any with only 11 total tackles during his final season with New England in 2021 as he became more of a special teams player.

The Patriots traded Winovich in March of 2022 to the Browns for linebacker Mack Wilson, who made New England’s 53-man roster. Winovich had a very underwhelming season with the Browns, playing in just eight games while totaling 20 tackles and one sack.

Winovich is now on the waiver market and if he clears it, he could rejoin the Texans’ practice squad.

Winovich wasn’t the only former Patriot the Texans parted ways with Tuesday. Houston also cut Dalton Keene, another third-round pick who didn’t work out with the Patriots.

Some other ex-Patriots were released as well in a busy day across the league. The Miami Dolphins cut Justin Bethel, the Las Vegas Raiders released Phillip Dorset and the Kansas City Chiefs moved on from Danny Shelton.