New England Patriots
“We all come here to fight. We all come here to go to war together.”
Christian Barmore generated 50 pressures this past season. (AP Photo/Charles Krupa)
June 12, 2026 | 7:16 AM
3 minutes to read
FOXBOROUGH — Christian Barmore’s numbers may not necessarily leap off the page.
Whereas players like Milton Williams and K’Lavon Chaisson routinely stuffed the stat sheet and brought opposing quarterbacks to the turf, Barmore was often tasked with doing the dirty work.
He only recorded two sacks over 17 games in 2025, but a peek under the hood at Barmore’s numbers painted the picture of an on-field battering ram that made life easier for his teammates.
“A very disruptive player, a player that cares a lot,” Mike Vrabel said of the 26-year-old defensive tackle, adding, “I just want to see him finish. So does he. But some of those plays that he had in the backfield around the quarterback, instead of being disruptive, [it’s] being able to finish those, because he did that a lot
“I try to talk to him about not being frustrated, that those plays impact the game. It may not show up in a statistical category. But I think his attitude has been great.”
Even if Barmore wasn’t necessarily the one ending plays by bringing down QBs, PFF graded him out with 50 total pressures last season, which ranked ninth out of 134 qualified defensive linemen in 2025.
If that persists, the former Alabama standout should continue to be a difference-maker on an already ascending Patriots defense. And if those pressures lead to even more tangible results, New England’s defensive line could be a force to be reckoned with in 2026 and beyond.
“Same motivation,” Barmore said Thursday of building off of last year’s success. “We all come here to fight. We all come here to go to war together. And I feel like every day we’ve just got to keep working hard to be the best we can be, so we can do the things we did last year even better.”
It hasn’t always been the easiest partnership for both Barmore and the Patriots to navigate over the previous five seasons.
Finally cleared from blood-clotting health concerns that robbed him of most of his 2024 season, Barmore had to work his way back into game shape and get re-acclimated to a new coaching staff under Vrabel this past year.
Off the field, Barmore was benched for a quarter against the Browns in October 2025 due to unspecified reasons — and later had a domestic assault charge dropped against him in March.
While Vrabel acknowledged that keeping Barmore’s emotions in check has remained an ongoing endeavor, defensive line coach Clint McMillan believes that he’s the type of player worth investing in — especially given the untapped potential.
“He loves the game of football,” McMillan said of Barmore. “He spends time on it. His preparation is excellent. I think he’s always prepared going into games. He spends a lot of time on it, even when he’s off the clock. So by the time he comes in, he’ll be able to talk through it and say the things that he likes, things that he doesn’t like.”
Barmore — who entered last season playing for a different Patriots coaching staff for the third year in a row — believes that Vrabel and his fellow coaches have helped several players reach a new level so far in Foxborough.
“They’re really great coaches [here] that I love,” Barmore said. “Coach Vrabel, I love Coach Clint … They’re guys that helped me out. Helped the whole D-line out, especially when it comes to things we need. They’re free to say things that we need to work on. That’s what I love about them. They’re real with us.”
There’s plenty to like about New England’s defensive unit going into 2026, be it returning stalwarts like Williams, Barmore, Christian Gonzalez, Robert Spillane, Marcus Jones, and Craig Woodson — or newcomers like veteran safety Kevin Byard and edge rusher Dre’Mont Jones.
After rising to the occasion during New England’s improbable Super Bowl run this past winter, the Patriots’ defense has the means to take another collective step forward in 2026 — with Barmore leading that pack of players with plenty to prove this fall.
“It’s a special group of guys,” Barmore said of New England’s revamped roster. “We got some new cats in here, some new guys, but they’re already caught up. I feel like, we got some new guys, we got some dogs out here.
“I feel like they respond to our energy, … So I feel like all of us, even the vets, we’re all on the same page. I feel like we all want the same goal. That’s all we focus on.”
Conor Ryan is a staff writer covering the Bruins, Celtics, Patriots, and Red Sox for Boston.com, a role he has held since 2023.
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