Through five games, Isaiah Wynn is the weak link on the Patriots offensive line — and it’s not close.
The fifth-year tackle leads the NFL with seven penalties and is ranked 26th at his position by Pro Football Focus. Wynn also has given up two sacks and nine quarterback pressures, though you could argue that PFF is being kind to the 2018 first-round pick. Last Sunday’s victory over the Detroit Lions saw another rough outing from Wynn, with the Georgia product committing a holding penalty and allowing at least two pressures.
Wynn played at left tackle for the first four seasons of his career in New England but was moved to right tackle during the offseason, with Trent Brown moving across the line. Offensive line coach Matt Patricia believes the Patriots coaching staff has done a good job of teaching linemen to be versatile, but also knows switching from left to right isn’t as easy as some — including Wynn — believe.
“I certainly think there are some technique things that are different when you play on the left and when you play on the right,” Patricia said during a Tuesday Zoom call. “Sometimes there’s a little bit of a transition trying to make sure your weight is adjusted properly — and your balance, your stance, all that. But, I would say, one of the bigger things that’s different is the type of players that you see on the other side of the ball. I think sometimes, defensively, you can look at guys that line up on the left or on the right in different roles. … Because of that, their skill set may be different on that side of the ball than it is on the other side of the ball.
“And that’s, I would say, the biggest adjustment. You see more of a similar type of body maybe on one side than you do the other, and just, when you flip from side to side as an offensive tackle, just getting used to the playstyle across from you is probably a bigger difference.”
Patricia then offered an endorsement of Wynn that many Patriots fans probably will disagree with.
“I think Isaiah does a lot of things really well for us and has been a consistent good play for us,” Patricia said. “Certainly, we all want to cut back on whatever mistakes that we’re making out there from that standpoint. And, in the early part of the year, we understand there is a little bit of that transition. … But he’s done a really good job of just moving to the other side of the ball, and Trent switched sides also.”
Wynn briefly was benched during New England’s Week 4 loss to the Green Bay Packers. Consequently, many wondered whether Marcus Cannon would get the nod at right tackle for the Lions game. But Wynn made the start and saw 100% of the offensive snaps. So, for now, he still is the starting right tackle.
However, the Patriots can’t afford to have penalties gum up their work-in-progress offense. They also can’t risk Mac Jones getting leveled once he returns from his high ankle sprain.
If Wynn doesn’t clean things up in hurry, it might be only a matter of time before he lands on the bench for good.
