Getty Isaiah Wynn of the New England Patriots is on the trade block, according to one NFL insider.
The Chicago Bears have already made one trade with the New England Patriots in recent months when they added wide receiver N’Keal Harry in exchange for a 2023 seventh-round pick. Could they call the Patriots for help again before their regular season kicks off on September 11?
Insider Albert Breer of Sports Illustrated reported on August 22 that the Pats are itching to free up a bit of cap space and are currently shopping 2018 first-round tackle Isaiah Wynn. “The Patriots are probably going to trade … someone,” Breer wrote.
“New England’s really tight to the cap, and my sense is they’d like to use a surplus they might have at one position or another to alleviate that and maybe pick up a draft pick or two,” he added. “The one guy I know definitively that they’ve talked with other teams on is Isaiah Wynn, their first-round pick from 2018. Wynn, though, is on a $10.4 million fifth-year option, which has made it tough to move a guy who, four years after he was drafted, is still seen as a tackle/guard tweener.”
As it stands, the Bears are set to start fifth-round rookie Braxton Jones at left tackle. While Jones has exceeded all expectations and has played well, the Bears are one more injury away from catastrophe on the offensive line. Chicago already has one starter, center Lucas Patrick, out indefinitely with a hand injury, and the depth behind Jones isn’t good, with only second-year swing tackle Larry Borom listed behind him on the team’s depth chart.
Cam Garrity of USA Today’s Patriots Wire thinks Chicago could add Wynn for two mid- to late-round picks.
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Wynn Had Solid Season in 2021 After Slow Start to Career
The Patriots selected Wynn with the 23rd overall pick out of the University of Georgia in 2018, where he was teammates with Bears linebacker Roquan Smith. Injuries have hampered the young O-Lineman since he entered the league, although he stayed healthy last season.
A torn Achilles in the preseason ended his rookie campaign and a toe injury limited him to just eight starts in 2019. He started 10 games in 2020, also missing time due to a knee injury.
Last year was a different story. Wynn played in 16 of 17 regular season games (15 starts), taking all 914 of his snaps at left tackle. He allowed 28 total pressures, 6.0 sacks and five QB hits, earning an overall grade of 74.9 from PFF. For context, only one Bears offensive lineman earned a higher grade from PFF last year: veteran Jason Peters, and he’s no longer on the team.
Wynn did have nine penalties called against him last year, and he would need to clean that up, but he would be a solid starting option for a Bears team that needs to keep quarterback Justin Fields upright as much as possible.
It sure seems that if the Bears don’t move the pocket, there won’t ever be a pocket for Justin Fields.
Garrity thinks New England would part ways with Wynn in exchange for a 2023 sixth-round pick along with a 2024 fourth-round selection. If that’s close to what the Patriots are asking, Bears general manager Ryan Poles might want to strongly consider it. Wynn is playing for a new contract this year, and he should be ready to ball out.
When discussing the Patriots’ desire to trade a few more players before the regular season begins, Breer also added that New England wide receiver Kendrick Bourne could be available.
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Bears Also Need WR Help, Stat
The Bears signed free agent receiver Byron Pringle this offseason with the hope that he would become a top weapon for Fields. Instead, Pringle has missed most of training camp and the entirety of the preseason with an injury and isn’t set to return anytime soon.
Breer says Bourne is another potential trade piece for the Pats, particularly considering the possible cap savings. Bourne was also recently ejected for fighting during a joint practice with the Carolina Panthers, and Breer says he has been unhappy in recent months.
“His financials are manageable ($3.75 million, plus $750K in per-game roster bonuses), he’d shown some frustration with the offensive changes over the last few months, and just got done with a weird week (fight in joint practices with Carolina, scratched for the game),” Breer wrote about Bourne. “I think the Patriots will get some calls on him, at the very least. And I think they’d feel compelled to listen, too, given their own situation.”
Bourne inked a three-year, $15 million contract with New England in 2021, and is coming off a career year in which he caught 55 passes on 67 targets for 800 yards and five scores (stats via PFF). Quarterbacks had a 135.1 passer rating when looking his way last season, and he averaged an impressive 7.2 yards after the catch.
He would pair well with Chicago’s current top wideout, Darnell Mooney, and at 6-foot-1 and 203-pounds, he would give the team a decent-sized speedster with great hands.
Poles has hinted he’ll likely be in the market for a WR soon, so keep an eye on Bourne as a dark horse option.
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Trade Proposal Lands Bears Former Patriots 1st Round Pick for Minimal Draft Capital