ESPN Names Potential Patriots Trade Candidate As NFL Deadline Nears

A Patriots player who entered the 2022 NFL season as a starter in New England has a chance to finish the remainder of the campaign elsewhere.

Isaiah Wynn has fallen out of favor in Foxboro. The fifth-year offensive tackle, who the Patriots selected with the 23rd overall pick in the 2018 draft, has been somewhat of a liability for New England through seven weeks. Penalties seem to always find Wynn, who also has been an abject disaster as a pass-blocker. The Georgia product was benched in two of the last three games he played in and he was scratched from Monday night’s loss to the Chicago Bears at Gillette Stadium.

Moving on from Wynn potentially could stabilize a Patriots offensive line that has shown signs of being a very strong unit at times this season. And as Mike Reiss explained in a recent ESPN column, a potential Wynn trade could yield other benefits for New England.

“When the Patriots selected Wynn in the first round of the 2018 draft, they hoped they had landed a franchise left tackle. It hasn’t worked out that way, and Wynn, playing right tackle this season, is among the league leaders in penalties and was inactive for Monday night’s game against the Bears,” Reiss wrote. “Trading a starting offensive tackle is risky given the value of the position, so the Patriots would have to feel comfortable turning to veteran Marcus Cannon at right tackle and Yodny Cajuste as the swing tackle. Positives for the team would be clearing salary-cap space and gaining future draft capital for a player who will be a free agent after the season.”

The Patriots have until Nov. 1 to deal Wynn if they feel so inclined. Two days before that benchmark, New England will visit the 5-2 New York Jets for a divisional matchup that could dictate how the remainder of the Patriots’ season will play out.