Patriots: Chase Winovich’s absence continues to be concerning

The continued absence of Patriots OLB Chase Winovich is concerning.

Following a turbulent offseason and string of opt outs, the New England Patriots will have a slew of starting holes to fill, one of which includes the outside linebacker/edge rusher position. In 2019, that spot was held down by Kyle Van Noy, who signed with Miami as a free agent back in March.

Across 15 games, the former second-round pick compiled 56 tackles, 6.5 sacks, 15 QB hits and three forced fumbles while playing a whopping 81% of the defensive snaps.

The betting favorite to take the reins from Van Noy is Chase Winovich, who posted an impressive 5.5 sacks as a rookie last season despite not starting a single game and playing less than 30% of the defensive snaps. However, after an impressive start to training camp, the 25-year-old has been absent in each of the Patriots’ last two practices.

It could be that New England is just being cautious with Winovich, but the lack of feedback from the coaching staff on his status is definitely a cause for concern with the start of the regular season exactly three weeks away.

The fact that the Michigan product‘s mysterious absence comes after he was labeled a full participant in each of the Patriots first 10 practices of camp really makes you think that he’s battling an injury.

And even if it’s not serious, um … we’d love to see him? Would allow for a lot of exhaling.

Since training camp started, Winovich has been widely reported as one of the Patriots’ most impressive players. Just a few days ago, he forced head coach Bill Belichick’s hand in making quarterback Cam Newton run a lap after punching the ball loose during an 11-on-11 drill.

It goes without saying that Winovich has taken full advantage of the opportunity Van Noy left in his wake, but a lengthy spell on the sidelines could derail any chance he had at making the OLB position his own this season.

The Patriots simply cannot afford anymore losses on the defensive side of the ball, so let’s hope the 2019 third-round pick isn’t dealing with anything too serious and returns to the practice field in short order.