It looks like more changes are needed for the New England Patriots. Even rookie quarterback Drake Maye is struggling with the way things are going. And Thursday the Patriots made a season-ending decision about Christian Barmore, according to a post on X by the team.
“The New England Patriots are placing defensive lineman Christian Barmore on the reserve non-football illness list after he experienced some recurring symptoms that required further evaluation. We appreciate everything Christian did to return to the team this season, but our top priority is Christian’s health and well-being. We know that he will continue to receive tremendous care and we want to ensure that he gets the time he needs to come back stronger than ever.”
Patriots’ DL Christian Barmore couldn’t finish season
The Patriots activated Barmore in mid-November, giving him a three-week opportunity to get back on the field. He worked himself back into shape and appeared in four games in 2024. Barmore recorded one sack and six tackles in limited action.
Doctors found blood clots in late July. Barmore reportedly had bruising in his calf and went for further testing. Fortunately for Barmore, head athletic trainer Jim Whalen’s heightened awareness of clotting issues from captain David Andrews' situation in 2019 allowed for an early diagnosis for Barmore.
That opened the door for Barmore to return this season, unlike Andrews, who missed the entire 2019 season. Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo spoke highly of Barmore, considered a star defender for the Patriots, according to patriots.com.
“For a guy who hasn't who hasn't really put on pads since January, it's tough,” Mayo said. “You never want to just throw a guy out there coming off an injury, regardless of what the injury is, and throw him out there for 50 plays. That's unrealistic. I think we see what he can handle and we'll go from there.”
Barmore led the Patriots with 8.5 sacks and 49 pressures in 2023. He ranked seventh among interior defensive linemen with 32 run stops in 2023.
