Is Marcus Cannon set to take over at right tackle for Isaiah Wynn on Patriots offensive line?
BOSTON -- Isaiah Wynn has struggled to lock down his assignments on the New England offensive line. After another rough game in Sunday's loss to the Packers, Wynn may have lost his starting job at right tackle.
Wynn's own struggles have not helped his cause -- or that of keeping New England's quarterbacks clean and healthy -- to keep his gig. He's become a liability on the line, and that was obvious throughout his time on the field in Green Bay. Wynn was beaten by Rashan Gary on the sack that injured Brian Hoyer, and he was also the responsible party when replacement QB Bailey Zappe was strip-sacked late in the second quarter. Wynn was also hit with false start (and had an offensive holding the very next play that was declined), a trend that has plagued him throughout the young season.
All of that earned Wynn a benching in the second half, with veteran Marcus Cannon overtaking the fifth-year lineman on the depth chart. Cannon, who was elevated from the practice squad on Saturday after rejoining the team a few weeks ago, helped stabilize the offense for Zappe and New England's running backs. He lined up as a jumbo tight end throughout the second half, and the Patriots were able to pick up plenty of yardage on the ground, averaging 5.1 yards per carry for the game.
Cannon and the rest of the offensive line finished the game with admirable blocking grades on Pro Football Focus. Wynn on the other hand, did not:
PFF's pass blocking grades for the Patriots' offensive linemen yesterday:
— Chad Graff (@ChadGraff) October 3, 2022
1. Michael Onwenu: 87
2. Trent Brown: 84.6
3. David Andrews: 83.6
4. Cole Strange: 80.6
5. Marcus Cannon: 78.3
6. Isaiah Wynn: 21.2
Will be interesting to see if Wynn has permanently lost the RT job.
That's rough.
Belichick was asked about Cannon's performance after the game, but said that he would have to watch the film. He did, however, throw out a pretty big compliment for Cannon.
"He gave a great performance," said Belichick.
Cannon should get more opportunities to give great performances going forward. That will likely come at the expense of Wynn, a former first-round selection that just hasn't shown enough development or consistency during his career.
With a rookie third-string quarterback likely getting some more run as Hoyer recovers from his head injury and Mac Jones deals with his high ankle sprain, the Patriots are going to need their offensive line to carry some extra weight. They did that Sunday in Green Bay, thanks in large part to Cannon's strong return to the line.