Isaiah Wynn has played well for the New England Patriots, the only problem is injuries have prevented him from being on the field for long stretches during his brief NFL career.
The Patriots selected Wynn in the first round of the 2018 NFL Draft, but a torn achilles in August of that year forced him to miss his entire rookie campaign. He returned healthy for the 2019 season but suffered a foot injury in a Week 2 victory over the Miami Dolphins that kept him out the next eight games.
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Wynn is understandably excited to get back on the field and show his impressive talent for a full season.
"Last year for me really was my really rookie year, so I had some occasional rookie ups and downs especially coming back the last (six) games," Wynn told Patriots.com writer Paul Perillo. "I still have a lot of room to improve on. I'm looking forward to getting back out there and being out there regularly.
The COVID-19 pandemic has presented plenty of challenges for players across the league over the offseason, but Wynn has been able to make the most of it so far.
"This offseason was my first official offseason because I'm able to just go out and work out and not rehab," Wynn said, per Perillo. "It's been different. It's great being able to still be involved with everything that's going on with our team with the meetings and all that, but that aspect of not having that camaraderie of being in the same facility together is missed. Other than that it's been great."
It's not a stretch to say Wynn could be among the most pivotal pieces to the Patriots' success in 2020.
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New England struggled to replace him last season as Marshall Newhouse and others struggled at left tackle. Pass protection also will be more critical than ever if Jarrett Stidham starts at quarterback as Tom Brady's replacement. Stidham is entering his second pro season and has thrown only four regular season passes in his career. His limited experience will be an even bigger problem if the pass rush consistently breaks down. The run game also struggled in 2019 when the Patriots finished as one of nine teams to average less than four yards per carry. A strong rushing attack would ease the burden on Stidham to carry the offense.
Wynn has good size and athleticism, and his performance in the limited amount of games he's played has been impressive. The challenge for him is staying healthy consistently, and if he's able to play close to a full season in 2020, the Patriots offense could be better than expected.