FOXBORO, Mass. — Christian Barmore was confused. Frustrated, even. He’d worked so hard and done everything right since being diagnosed with blood clots late last July that he couldn’t figure out why his return to action didn’t go as planned.
After missing the first 10 games of the 2024 season, the defensive tackle came back to the New England Patriots, hoping to finish the season strong. Instead, after four appearances, he was shelved for the rest of the year, part of a decision to balance his medications and ensure his health.
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Still, the news didn’t sit well. He spent so many hours behind the scenes at Gillette Stadium working out, eating right, trying to take care of himself. How could his comeback have gone so poorly? He was angry, he admitted Thursday in his first comments since his brief return ended last season.
“It was really confusing,” Barmore said. “Anger and just really mind-blowing because I was putting in a lot of work here at that time. It’s like all that work I put in for nothing.”
Five months later, Barmore, 25, is back at Patriots workouts. He plans to be a full participant next week when the first practices are allowed at organized team activities. As to his availability for the start of the season?
“Everything looks real well,” Barmore said. “That’s the goal. … I’m really just enjoying the game that I love again. Not worrying about the stuff that was holding me back from last year.”
DT Christian Barmore walks through the door to the interview room; his first media Q&A since landing on IR last December due to a recurrence of blood clots. pic.twitter.com/4yaQXiD8hx
— Mike Reiss (@MikeReiss) May 15, 2025
If that’s the case and Barmore can return to a healthy version of the player he was before the diagnosis, it will be a huge boon for the Patriots.
Coach Mike Vrabel admitted earlier this offseason that plenty was still unclear about Barmore’s status. In turn, the Patriots made free-agent defensive tackle Milton Williams the highest-paid player in franchise history.
It felt like a win-win. If Barmore’s health is a constant question as it relates to football, then Williams can take over his role as a pass rusher from the interior of the defensive line. But if Barmore can play, the two could form one of the best pass-rushing interior duos in the NFL. That would be especially important for the Patriots, who have built their D-line from the inside out and lack a consistent edge rusher on the outside.
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Before the blood clots, Barmore was one of the NFL’s best at his position. He broke out in 2023 with 8.5 sacks and 16 quarterback hits. The Pats rewarded him with a four-year, $83 million contract, hopeful he’d be a fixture of their defense.
But everything changed for Barmore at the end of July when the diagnosis landed at the start of training camp. He didn’t want to get into the details of his medical journey on Thursday, other than to emphasize that he feels ready and to stress how difficult last season was.
“That was one of the hardest times for me,” Barmore said. “I wanted to be out there. I wanted to support my brothers. I feel like I did everything in my power just to come back.”
His optimism now is encouraging. It’s only May, sure, and these are just voluntary workouts. But after their free-agent spending spree focused mostly on the defense, it’s not difficult to envision that unit turning into a tough group to play against, particularly if Barmore is healthy.
Christian Gonzalez and Carlton Davis make up a strong cornerback duo. Robert Spillane should help stuff the run in the middle of the defense. Safety is again one of their deeper positions.
The question for the unit comes with whether they can get enough pressure on the quarterback. A year ago, the Patriots ranked last in the league in sacks, and they didn’t draft a defensive lineman with any of their four top-100 picks.
That ups the need for Barmore and Williams to wreak havoc from the inside. If they can, this defense could be really good.
For now, that’s a big-picture thought. What’s more important is Barmore’s health and the confidence that he’s trending in the right direction after all he’s been through.
“I was doing everything I could just to come back for this team last year,” Barmore said. “I don’t ever want to be in a situation or anybody in the world to go through that because that stuff was no joke and was just a hard challenge.”
(Photo: Mark J. Rebilas / Imagn Images)
This news was originally published on this post .
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