NASHVILLE — At the start of training camp, one of the biggest question marks for the New England Patriots loomed over one of the most important positions on the football field.
Left tackle was far from secure. There was no real sense of who would be protecting Tom Brady’s blind side, because Isaiah Wynn didn’t seem anywhere near being ready to go.
Fear no more. Perhaps the best takeaway from Saturday night’s 22-17 preseason victory against the Tennessee Titans was seeing Wynn in the lineup, and seeing him perform so well.
Wynn played the first three series to start the game, with Brian Hoyer as the quarterback.
While the offensive line had some issues during the night and got Hoyer roughed up a few times, there were no problems with Wynn, who is a year removed from the left Achilles tear he suffered in a preseason game, causing him to miss his rookie season.
“Overall, I was pretty happy with the performance I put out there today,” Wynn said following the game.
He looked the part of a dominant left tackle, locking up Titans defenders every play he was in there. On running plays, he’d dust off one defender and move to the second level. He also held his man in check for passing plays.
Just being in a game again and being in the trenches brought him great joy.
“I feel like I was into it. Of course you can always get better technique-wise,” Wynn said. “But it was good. I was feeling good. It was good to go out there again and compete.”
The lone touchdown the Patriots scored in the first half, a sweep left by Brandon Bolden, was created by a monster block by fullback Jakob Johnson, along with Wynn finishing off his man. Naturally, he credited the entire line for the work done on the scoring play.
“It felt good (to make that block), but it wasn’t only me, it was the rest of the offensive line,” said Wynn. “We all did a good job of blocking on the play that allowed Brandon to score.”
While there were some concerns about Wynn’s readiness to play, the 2018 first-round pick moved well in his first game back. His technique was pretty much on-point as he held off Amani Bledsoe, Kamalei Correa and Brent Urban during his playing time, which came in the first quarter and trickled into the second. There was one pass blocking sequence in particular where he locked up Correa and stood him up for what seemed like 10 minutes.
During the week against the Titans in joint practices, he rotated in with the starters but didn’t take many reps before giving way to Dan Skipper.
Saturday night’s game was his most consistent activity. The increased workload certainly was an encouraging step and reinforced the notion Wynn would be ready to go on opening night against the Steelers. The former University of Georgia tackle had acknowledged during the week he finally felt 100 percent and was on target to play in the season opener. Wynn, who was in for roughly 19 snaps, was pleased how the game turned out. While he’d like to iron out a few technique issues, he remains on course.
“This gives me a lot of confidence. Practice is the closest thing we’re going to get to a game,” he said, “but just being able to actually go out there and take some game-time reps is good.”
The Patriots did not put him on the physically-unable-to-perform list at the start of camp, but that didn’t allay fears. Wynn was basically a bystander during practice, not taking part in any competitive drills. Given the importance of keeping Brady upright, the concern level grew.
But little by little, he has been getting involved in more meaningful drills before finally seeing game action.
He told reporters Wednesday he no longer thinks about the injury that robbed him of his rookie season. That much was evident when he lifted Bolden off the ground to celebrate after the back’s TD run.
“It was a very productive week, not just for me, but for the rest of the team,” he said. “Everybody got a chance to go against a different defense … it was very productive for the whole team.”
Wynn was expected to compete for the starting job in 2018, but spent the season rehabbing while Trent Brown took over at left tackle and played so well that he earned a huge free-agent contract with the Oakland Raiders during the offseason.
The recovery time and nature of Wynn’s injury, of course, left a bit of uncertainty. It’s never easy for a big man to recover from an Achilles injury, especially one who plays on the offensive line. The Patriots attempted to get some help at the position early on, but every veteran tackle they acquired as an insurance policy either retired, quit, or didn’t make the cut.
Skipper, who has been getting the majority of reps of late, is serviceable at best. That’s not what you’re looking for in front of a 42-year-old quarterback.
Wynn, in his limited action, appears strong and uses his feet well. Once he locks up a defender, it’s over. That much was obvious during the Titans game.
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