New England Patriots: 3 veterans who may not crack the 53 man roster
New England Patriots Veteran No. 1: Chase Winovich
Chase Winovich has had a very interesting start to his career in New England. Sometimes he looks capable of developing into a dangerous pass rusher, while others he looks completely lost. He’s found himself in the doghouse with Belichick on more than one occasion, and after a strong offseason for the Pats, he may find himself on the outside looking in as a result.
Winovich has produced some solid numbers to start his career, picking up 5.5 sacks in both of his first two seasons and generally causing pressure on opposing quarterbacks. But he has sometimes been overlooked for other options, which wasn’t a good sign considering the lack of depth the Patriots front seven had last season.
That lack of depth doesn’t exist anymore. Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, and Matthew Judon have all been added into the fold, and while they don’t necessarily have the same role as Winovich, they are going to be starting games. Judon in particular is probably going to come in and Winovich’s starting role away from him.
Not to mention Winovich may get boxed out by some of the other younger prospects at his position. Deatrich Wise re-signed this offseason to a big deal, and Anfernee Jennings and Josh Uche both had more productive minicamps than Winovich, meaning he’s probably already behind the ball there as well.
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As a result, Winovich is probably going to need a big training camp in order to keep his spot on the team. He’s had flashes where he looked capable of developing into a solid pass rusher, but that may not be enough after what New England did this offseason. If he doesn’t do anything to jump off the tape, Winovich’s tenure in New England may be coming to a quick end.