Getty Perrion Winfrey of the Cleveland Browns.
All options are on the table when it comes to Perrion Winfrey’s future with the Cleveland Browns.
Winfrey was arrested on April 10 on a misdemeanor assault charge in Texas. He is accused of grabbing his girlfriend and causing “bodily harm,” according to court documents obtained by TMZ.
The incident is still playing out but it’s a very bad look for a player who had already raised some red flags due to maturity issues. He was a healthy scratch on multiple occasions last season, was sent home from practice for disciplinary issues and injured himself by falling off a scooter.
The Browns are letting the legal process play out but there’s a chance that this is the final straw for Winfrey, who was a fourth-round pick last season. “Everything is on the table” per Browns insider Mary Kay Cabot of cleveland.com regarding Winfrey’s future.
“The Browns are still gathering information on Winfrey’s arrest for misdemeanor assault on a woman he was dating, and all options are on the table at this point,” Cabot wrote.
“If the Browns don’t like what their internal investigation unearths, they’ll consider parting ways with Winfrey. That’s in part because he had maturity issues last season, and might need to take a step back and work on some things. If he’s found guilty, that will weigh heavily in their decision. But the Browns will try to let the legal process play out to the extent they can and not rush to judgment.”
Winfrey Was More Bark Than Bite During First Season
Winfrey was an exciting prospect for the Browns and had the potential to be a steal. He played two years at Iowa Western Community College and was rated as the No. 1 overall junior college recruit in the country after that stint. He moved on to Oklahoma, where he became a key piece of the defensive line. He was named as a second-team All-Big 12 Conference selection as a senior, posting 23 tackles, 11 for loss with 5.5 sacks in 12 starts.
After he was drafted, Winfrey took a good first step in establishing himself as a fan-favorite.
Browns Have to Explore Other Options at Defensive Tackle
GettyThe Cleveland Browns need to take a closer look at Al Woods.
With Winfrey’s future up in the air, the Browns have to start thinking now about how they’d fill his spot in the defensive tackle rotation. Cleveland signed Dalvin Tomlinson to hold down one of the tackle spots but who would be his partner was still up for debate.
They could look to the draft to add a young gun defender, or opt for someone like Al Woods, who visited the Browns earlier this offseason and would be a steady presence in the middle.
Woods started 30 games during his most recent two-season stint with the Seahawks, recording a career-high 50 tackles in 2021 and 39 tackles last season. While his specialty is not getting to the quarterback, he added 3.5 sacks and nine tackles for loss.