As Trent Williams continues his holdout, New England Patriots fans have been keeping at least one eye on the Washington Redskins to see if they'll trade the Pro Bowl offensive tackle.
But that may be one eye too many.
On Wednesday morning, ESPN's Field Yates laid out the reasons why the Patriots are unlikely to engage Washington in trade talks for Williams.
Williams reportedly will cost at least a first-round pick, so New England would only pony up if it felt it had a serious need at left tackle. But second-year tackle Isaiah Wynn, who missed his entire rookie season due to an Achilles injury, has made significant progress in training camp, participating in his first fully-padded, full-contact practice of the summer Monday.
As our own Phil Perry observed, Wynn looked smooth during that first session, and it's possible the Patriots' 2018 first-round pick could be their starting left tackle come Week 1.
If Wynn suffers a minor setback along the way? The Pats could turn to backup left tackle Dan Skipper, who has gotten valuable camp snaps with Wynn out. Third-round pick Yodny Cajuste also is on the depth chart, and longtime offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia has a reputation of getting the most out of his unit.
New England Patriots
The Patriots spent $1.9 million on their left tackle last season in Trent Brown, now with the Oakland Raiders. With Wynn, Skipper and Cajuste in the mix, it seems highly unrealistic they'll dole out north of $10 million for a 31-year-old lineman in Williams.
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