7 Cleveland Browns who need a strong second-half to keep their job

Chase Winovich

You can lose your job for any number of reasons when it comes to the NFL. One of those reasons is by being too hurt to play. When the trade was made in the off-season to send Mack Wilson to the New England Patriots for their defensive end/outside linebacker Chase Winovich, many, myself included thought the Browns got their guy. They got a pass-rusher who can play defense and while he may not be an All-Pro kind of guy, can hold his own.

He’s an all-around good player who can cover, tackle, pass rush and play the run. Not at elite levels but there’s really no drop-off.

The problem is, it’s now Week 11, there are only seven games left on the Browns’ schedule, and Winovich hasn’t played since Week 2. He’s been a non-factor all year and it’s due to the same reason the Patriots moved on from him; his hamstring. He’s been designated for return from the IR but we have not seen any movement on that since it was announced on Nov. 7.

It’s hard to imagine how much of an impact Winovich could’ve had had he not missed all that time, but if he can come back, improve the defensive line’s play by any amount, and put up some decent stats, the Browns may opt to keep him. As long as he stays healthy the rest of the way.