Isaiah Wynn returns to practice after being on injured reserve list
Isaiah Wynn was present at practice on Wednesday for the first time since he landed on the IR after week one. Wynn’s return means that both eligible returns from IR are in the process of returning the team in the coming weeks. N’Keal Harry is in fact, eligible to suit for Sunday night’s game against the Ravens. With Harry’s return, Brady now has an arsenal of Julian Edelman, Phillip Dorsett, Mohamed Sanu, N’Keal Harry, Jakobi Meyers, and Gunner Olszewski. Sanu and Harry will still have some catching up to do, but when the Wynn rejoins the offense after the bye week in week 10, New England’s offense has a chance to be much more effective.
The Patriots have relied heavily on their defense up to this point, but it is unrealistic to ask the defense to cause three turnovers a game in order to win football games. At some point the offense is going to have to pick up the slack and return the favor. If New England’s offense can produce similar to what they were able to do last year, it will be hard for the doubters to deny New England as the best team in football.
Marshall Newhouse has been the left tackle who has stepped up in Wynn’s absence, and there is undeniable drop off from Wynn to Newhouse. A lot of the offensive struggles have been caused by the unreliable offensive line. We know Brady does not have the ability to extend plays with his legs, so if the pocket collapses before he can make his reads when he drops back to pass, it disrupts timing on all of his throws. The production in the running game has also suffered due to the offensive line play. The addition of Wynn will not immediately solve all of the groups problems, but it will surely help.
The timing of the bye week can be a huge help to the offense as well. This gives Sanu and Harry time to learn the playbook and will help them become familiar with Brady’s timing on his throws when he is not rushed to get rid of the ball. Brady relies heavily on his chemistry with his receivers and expects them to understand his timing. With the multitude of changes at the receiver position throughout the course of this season, Brady hasn’t had time to develop a rapport with a lot of his receivers. This has put a lot of pressure on guys like James White, Julian Edelman, and Phillip Dorsett. Guys that have been in that Patriots‘ offense for a while and have had time to develop that chemistry. The bye week will give the newer guys a chance to build that trust with Brady and take some of the pressure off of his favorite targets.
The addition of Wynn will not only keep Brady safer in the backfield. It will allow for more fluidity in the flow of the offense. This will be huge if New England wants to make another Super Bowl run. The defense can only carry them so far, but the offense needs to produce in order for them to be successful. Wynn will add a lot more value than just being another body up front.