FOXBOROUGH -- A lot is expected of Isaiah Wynn, the second-year offensive tackle who is slated to make his return from injured reserve (foot/toe) Sunday against the Cowboys.
The Patriots' run game has been below average all season and Tom Brady hasn't had that much time to throw. The hope is Wynn will be able to help the unit improve and therefore make those two aspects of the offense better.
"I am really confident (in him)," offensive line coach Dante Scarnecchia said Friday.
He added: "Isaiah, I really like Isaiah. I like the person. I like the player. We all like the person and we like the player. We just have to keep him out there. That's really important. We'll see how it all goes."
Wynn will replace Marshall Newhouuse at left tackle.
Despite being a first-round pick last season, the Georgia product has played just a game plus a quarter in his NFL career. He missed all of last season with an Achilles injury and then suffered a toe/foot injury in Miami Week 2 of this season.
Now fully healthy for the first time, Scarnecchia looking forward to him being on the field.
"I think the positive part — I am not speculating on anything — I think for me personally, when Isaiah came here, he came here with a shoulder that had been surgically repaired. He was late getting into training camp. I am not sure he was ever very strong prior to his first year," he said. "Then we had a similar situation before this season. I think right now what we're seeing is a guy who is really completely healthy, stronger than he's been. And we thought he was a good player when we went into the season and we think even that much more now. We think we have a guy who is completely healthy. None of us can predict the future, but we all want the best for this kid. He's really a good guy."
As for Marcus Cannon missing Friday's practice, Scarnecchia said he's sick, but expects him to play Sunday.
