Although Patriots offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn is entering his third year in the league, for all intents and purposes it's like his second.
Wynn was selected in the first round by the Patriots in the 2018 draft, but he spent the entire year on injured reserve after suffering an Achilles injury during the preseason.
The Georgia product was able to get on the field last year, playing eight games following suffering a toe injury early in the season. Wynn played Weeks 1 and 2 and then returned for Week 11 and finished out the year.
"Last year for me really was my rookie year, so I had some occasional rookie ups and downs especially coming back the last [six] games," Wynn said to Patriots.com. "I still have a lot of room to improve on. I'm looking forward to getting back out there and being out there regularly.
"This offseason was my first official offseason because I'm able to just go out and work out and not rehab. 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."
Wynn figures to be the starting left tackle for a unit that if everything comes together has the potential to be one of the better ones in the NFL. For himself personally, Bill Belichick always talks about the jump players make from Year 1 to Year 2 and for all intents and purposes, this is Wynn's second year.
Like everyone else, it's been a different offseason for Wynn as even though he's stayed in Massachusetts he hasn't been able to get into the Gillette Stadium facility.
"It has been different," he said. "We're missing that key piece. It's always 50/50 classroom and execution out on the field. For offensive line play is not just about you. It's also about relying on other people to help you do your job and helping them do theirs. There's a comfort that comes with working together on the field, not just watching film and learning in the classroom. But we definitely try to take advantage of the time we have together."
Once Wynn and the rest of the team return, the offensive line will work for the first time without Dante Scarnecchia, but Wynn seems confident in Cole Popovich and Carmen Bricillo, who figure to be his replacements.
"My short time with Scar I enjoyed very much," Wynn said. "My perspective is obviously limited but to me he is the best there is. He will be missed and he's very respected. [Popovich and Bricillo] have experience under Scar so it's been good. We haven't really noticed too much of a change and we're all eager to get started."
Training camp is scheduled to begin in late July.
