The New England Patriots have reportedly made offensive tackle Isaiah Wynn available for trade, according to Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer. The Tennessee Titans have a potential need at the position. I’ve already seen Titans fans asking the question on social media.
Breer on Pats: “My sense is they’d like to use a surplus they might have at one position or another to alleviate (cap issues) and maybe pick up a draft pick or two. The one guy I know definitively that they’ve talked with other teams on is Isaiah Wynn.” https://t.co/zIzs0KP919
— Henry McKenna (@McKennAnalysis) August 22, 2022
Before answering the question, it’s worth acknowledging how we arrived here. Second-year offensive tackle Dillon Radunz entered the offseason program as the in-house favorite to take over the right tackle job left vacated by free-agent departure David Quessenberry. Radunz has underwhelmed at the position, with a poor performance against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in Tennessee’s second preseason game potentially ending his claim to the job. Radunz has been working with the second-team offense at left guard since then. It’s a terrible sign and likely a response to Saturday’s performance.
Rookie blocker Nicholas Petit-Frere has been receiving first-team reps at right tackle since Radunz’s uninspiring performance. The Titans have yet to officially name Petit-Frere the starter, but the situation appears to be trending in that direction. The No. 69 overall selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Petit-Frere is a rookie that will experience growing pains at times as he continues acclimating to the NFL. He still appears to be a better in-house option than Radunz.
That brings us to potential outside options. A first-round selection in the 2018 NFL Draft, Wynn is set to earn a fully guaranteed $10.413 million in 2022 via the fifth-year option, which New England exercised last season. A former left tackle, the Patriots have groomed Wynn to play right tackle this coming season.
I’m personally of the opinion that trading for Wynn is a risky proposition the Titans can’t afford. General Manager Jon Robinson has poured considerable capital into the tackle position while finding little success and even less answers. The Titans would inherit Wynn’s entire $10 million-plus salary, unless they can convince the Patriots to retain some of his salary, which is unlikely (the Pats aren’t that desperate to trade Wynn). The Titans possess approximately $6.8 million in available cap space, via Spotrac, following Wednesday’s trade for Ugo Amadi. They’re now somewhat tight against the cap and acquiring Wynn would be difficult, but not impossible.
Wynn is still viewed as a tackle/guard tweener per Breer’s report, and the Titans could ill-afford to deal with another such project given the current Radunz experience. Robinson can’t afford to swing big and miss on another offensive tackle. Petit-Frere remains the best option. The Titans shouldn’t pursue a trade for Wynn.