The Patriots are activating left tackle Isaiah Wynn and placing wide receiver Gunner Olszewski on the injured reserve list.
[jwplayer 6Q40ShvH-ThvAeFxT]
The New England Patriots have officially activated left tackle Isaiah Wynn from the injured reserve list. Subsequently, they placed wide receiver Gunner Olszewski on the injured reserve list because of lingering ankle and hamstring injuries.
According to NFL transaction wire, Isaiah Wynn has been activated off IR and Patriots have placed Gunner Olszewski on IR as corresponding move.
Wynn was placed on the injured reserve list with a toe injury after New England’s Week 2 victory over the Miami Dolphins. He missed the entirety of his rookie season due to a torn achilles. He is healthy now and the Patriots can play him as soon as this week against the Dallas Cowboys — giving New England’s offense a considerable boost.
Olszewski hasn’t played since Week 8 and he became the team’s primary punt returner. He had an unlikely path to the NFL and finished his season with 20 punt returns for 179 yards. Mohamed Sanu took those responsibilities over in Week 11.
Tom Brady and the offense has struggled with instability on the offensive line, so Wynn will provide much-needed security on his blindside.
The return of left tackle Isaiah Wynn could be just the boost the Patriots needed to awaken their offense.
While the NFL world remains on Rob Gronkowski watch, the New England Patriots continue to struggle with the reality that their offense isn’t good enough, and returning left tackle Isaiah Wynn is the only one left to save it.
Wynn-ing is the only way out of this dystopian hellhole, where an offense led by quarterback Tom Brady is the glaring weakness on the football field.
The Patriots’ left tackle is slated to make his long-awaited return for Sunday’s match-up against the Dallas Cowboys. Brady will be ecstatic to see him after he was clotheslined and body-slammed in the pocket by the Philadelphia Eagles’ ferocious defensive front.
At this point, fill-in left tackle Marshall Newhouse is probably happy to see Wynn back on the field as well after serving as the proverbial punching bag for criticism during the Patriots’ struggles. There is enough film of Newhouse getting blown up on the line to piece together a feature length movie.
Cue the Superman theme as Wynn swoops in to attempt to save the day.
Before going down with an injury, Wynn flashed serious talent in protecting Brady’s blindside. The 42-year-old quarterback threw for 341 yards and three touchdowns in the season-opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers, which was the last full game Wynn played in.
He was only in for 12 snaps against the Miami Dolphins before going down with a toe injury.
It’s no mere coincidence the Patriots’ struggles started the moment the offensive line took hits. For all of the jokes about the Patriots defense making New York Jets quarterback Sam Darnold see ghosts, Brady is experiencing his own poltergeist issues in the pocket as well. It’s a natural occurrence when protection breaks down and the quarterback is left on an island at the mercy of 250-plus pound pass rushers.
Wynn’s return should serve as a domino effect across the entire offensive front. Not only will his mere presence increase Brady’s confidence in his blindside being protected, but it will also be a significant boost to the run game. The ability to consistently run the football is the reason why the Patriots won the Super Bowl last season.
An argument could be made their current receiving corps looks better on paper than the group they had back in 2018. The only difference this time around is the team’s inability to get the ground game going. They are too one-dimensional as a unit, and Brady lacks the requisite speed weapons on the outside to run a Patrick Mahomes-style offense. This is why he was so adamant about All-Pro wideout Antonio Brown being on the team.
He won’t say it publicly, but Brady knows the Patriots can’t win a seventh Super Bowl with the offense in its current state.
The second-year lineman is the reason the team was willing to move on from Trent Brown, who signed a record-breaking deal in the offseason with the Oakland Raiders. He’s the reason Coach Bill Belichick was willing to shell out a first-round draft pick for the left tackle position in the 2018 NFL Draft.
Of course, it would be naïve to assume he can fix all of the problems for the Patriots. He’s simply a missing piece of the puzzle that should help get the run game going, which would enable the offense to strike the same balance it had last season.
The trade deadline is over, and any current free agent is probably unsigned for a reason.
Gronkowski seems to be enjoying his time as a FOX Sports NFL analyst. Even if he did return, there are no guarantees he’d be a significant help to the team. He missed all of training camp and half of the season. There is also no hiding the fact that he’s dropped a considerable amount of weight in his transition to life after football.
It’s time to accept the fact that Gronkowski’s football playing days are over.
Wynn is the cavalry the Patriots have been waiting for this season—not Gronkowski, Antonio Brown, A.J. Green or Stefon Diggs. He’s the last hope to rouse a sleeping giant that would suddenly be paired with a historically great defense. Leave everything you think you know about the offense at the door on Sunday. The real season for the Patriots starts now.
