Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore has been activated off the injured reserve list ahead of tomorrow’s game against the Los Angeles Rams.
Barmore’s return should spark defense that is coming off one of its best performances in the past three years. When healthy, Barmore is a force in the middle of the Patriots defensive line and he should solidify a run defense that has been porous this season.
Patriots coach Jerod Mayo is looking forward to having Barmore back. He says that Barmore brings a certain energy to the team.
“It’s good. It’s good to have that positive energy out there. The expectation is you go out there and make plays, everyone’s excited anyway, and we know what kind of disruptor he can be. So, when you get those questions, ‘Why didn’t you guys do anything in free agency?’ Barmore coming back or being able to play at some point this season is going to definitely pay huge dividends for us.”
Not only Will Barmore help reset the line of scrimmage in the run game but he will also put pressure on opposing quarterbacks. Last week’s nine sack performance was impressive but not the norm when it comes to the Patriots pass rush this season. Barmore will collapse the inside of the pocket, freeing up the outside rushers.
Despite being cleared, the Patriots are going to take their time integrating Barmore. Do not expect him to play his full snap on load on Sunday. Instead, he will play on early down and long pass rush downs. I would expect him to get 20-25 snaps. Mayo reiterated that the Patriots will not rush him.
“The expectation is there is no expectation. When he’s ready to go, he will play. I know he’s excited, and he’s been wanting to get back on the field for a long time. A lot of credit to the doctors and the medical staff. They’ve done a great job handling the situation with Barmore. It’s tough as an athlete when you have something like blood clots because you don’t have a cast on, you don’t have a sling on or anything like that. It’s almost like that invisible – ‘I feel good enough to play, I feel good enough to play,’ but there are definitely steps and procedures that we have to get through.”
Getting Barmore back is great news. There was some uncertainty regarding his future. Some wondered if he would play this season or ever again for that matter. Now he is back and his return will boast a defense looking to get back to being elite status.
Things are trending up for the Patriots. Barmore’s is another positive for a franchise that is starting to find its footing under Mayo.