New England Patriots second-year offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn is a go for training camp, a fantastic sign for the line and the offense as a whole.
Not everyone is healthy for the New England Patriots as they begin 2019 training camp. Running back Sony Michel and wide receiver Demaryius Thomas will start camp on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list. Meanwhile, Julian Edelman will surprisingly not start out on the field as he’ll miss several weeks dealing with a thumb injury. Fortunately for the Patriots, though, Isaiah Wynn is not one of their injury concerns right now.
As reported by NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Wynn passed his physical in New England, allowing him to avoid the PUP list and get into the training camp program right away. Wynn, who was the Patriots first selection in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, missed all of his rookie season after tearing his Achilles in the preseason.
Obviously, the Patriots didn’t miss Wynn all that much last season. Led by legendary offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia, Trent Brown and Co. helped pave the way for the offense all the way to a Super Bowl LIII victory. However, Wynn’s role in the 2019 offense is far more crucial.
With Brown departing for a lucrative contract with the Oakland Raiders in free agency, Wynn is now penciled in as the starting left tackle for the Patriots. While history would have you believe that Scarnecchia could make the group work even without Wynn healthy, having a first-round talent on the field makes that job much easier.
More from NFL Spin Zone
- Dallas Cowboys made the trade everyone else should have made
- Pittsburgh Steelers rookie sleeper everyone should be talking about
- Anthony Richardson putting jaw-dropping talent on display immediately
- Denver Broncos’ stud wide receiver might be out for a while
- Washington Commanders: Three takeaways from win over Ravens
Behind Wynn at the tackle position is 2019 third-rounder Yodny Cajuste — a player with injury concerns of his own — and Cole Croston. Wynn is clearly the superior player of that group, so having him on the field simply makes the offensive line better and easier to coach.
Subsequently, Wynn getting into training camp healthy and getting to work with the first team in taking reps is a massive win for the Patriots. Brown was by far the biggest offseason loss that they suffered heading into 2019, but a healthy Wynn getting a full training camp before he takes over the mantle on the left side substantially alleviates the blow of losing Brown.
There are certainly question marks about the Patriots offense in 2019. How they will cope with the loss of Rob Gronkowski, the healthy of players like Edelman, Thomas and Michel and even the age of Tom Brady (blasphemous, I know) are all questions that will need to be addressed.
With Wynn passing his physical, though, that’s one less question that Bill Belichick and his staff will have to address as they look to make another run at the Lombardi Trophy. For them, that’s a big win.