On Friday, Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo met with the media for his regularly scheduled press conference before practice, and discussed the return of fourth-year defensive tackle Christian Barmore after his bout with blood clots.
Barmore was diagnosed with the condition this summer, and added to the reserve/non-football injury list in late July. Since then, the 2021 All-Rookie Team selection has been unable to participate in football activities.
But with the 25-year-old being given the “all-clear” to return to practice this week, fans and media alike are wondering how soon before the stud D-tackle reclaims his spot in the center of the defense.
With Thursday’s practice in the books, Mayo said on Friday morning that Barmore “still had a smile on his face today,” saying he thought the Alabama product felt good. With that said, he’s leaving all decisions about playing time up to the team’s medical staff.
“It’s tough,” said Mayo. “You know, going back to transparency, I’ve tried to keep you guys in the loop as far as the progress of Barmore or [Cole] Strange or Caedan [Wallace] - all of those guys. I would say, look, it’s an emotional roller coaster as you go through those types of things. And I would say we have a good psychology department, too, to help these guys along as they work through injuries.
“But again - look, he’s excited. He’s happy to be back on the field, and we’ll see what happens going forward.”
Throughout the first three years of his career, Barmore was a workhorse defensive tackle who rarely went to the sidelines for a breather. When asked if Barmore would be able to handle that type of heavy workload once he’s cleared to return, Mayo said the team has to wait-and-see.
“For a guy who hasn’t, you know, really put on pads since January, it’s tough,” said Mayo. “And you never want to just throw a guy out there coming off an injury, regardless of what the injury is. Throw him out there for 50 plays, that’s unrealistic. I think, you know, we see what he can handle, and we’ll build from there.”
Workload aside, Mayo said there’s a chance Barmore makes his 2024 debut in Week 11 against the Los Angeles Rams (4-5) on Sunday.
“There’s a chance,” said Mayo. “We have a meeting with the doctors after practice today, so there is a chance. No, seriously, I mean there is a chance. Like, we have medical meetings every single day, and we’ll see how that goes.”
There’s no denying the impact Barmore can have on his defense from the interior, as he led the team in sacks (8.5) and was second in tackles-for-loss (13) in 2023. He was fourth in QB hurries (6), fifth in passes defended (6), and seventh in tackles (64).
Those are crazy numbers for a player in his spot on the defense, which explains the four-year contract extension he signed this offseason worth $92 million - the most money ever handed out to a player not named Tom Brady in franchise history.
“The expectation is you go out there and make plays, everyone’s excited anyway,” said Mayo. “We know what kind of disruptor he can be. And so when, you know, when you get those questions, ‘Why didn’t you guys do anything in free agency?’ Like, Barmore coming back or being able to play at some point this season is going to definitely pay huge dividends for us.”
Stay locked-in to WEEI and WEEI.com as the story surrounding Barmore’s return to the field continues to develop throughout the weekend.