Jerod Mayo isn't ruling out the potential return of one key Patriots playmaker for Sunday's matchup against Rams
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – All eyes were on No. 90 during Thursday's practice. For the first time since the beginning of training camp, star defensive tackle Christian Barmore was out on the field, after being diagnosed with blood clots over the summer. He was sidelined indefinitely with no timeframe for his return. "Just to see […]
FOXBOROUGH, Mass – All eyes were on No. 90 during Thursday's practice.
For the first time since the beginning of training camp, star defensive tackle Christian Barmore was out on the field, after being diagnosed with blood clots over the summer. He was sidelined indefinitely with no timeframe for his return.
"Just to see Barmore out there was a great sight to see. The expectation is there is no expectation," New England Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo told reporters on Friday. "I know he’s excited and he’s been wanting to get back on the field."
So could he potentially play this weekend against the Los Angeles Rams?
“There’s a chance," he revealed. "We have a meeting with the doctors after practice today.”
Obviously, the defensive tackle would not be playing a full workload if he were to be active on Sunday. But getting him back at any level would help the defense immensely.
Coming into the 2024 season, Barmore was coming off the best year of his career, and the team rewarded him with a four-year deal worth a maximum value of $92 million. More specifically, It's worth $41.8 million in guarantees.
He truly showed what he was capable during the 2023 season, specifically in the Patriots' Christmas Eve win over the Denver Broncos. He recorded three sacks and two tackles for loss in the victory.
The defensive tackle finished the season with 64 total tackles, 8.5 sacks, one forced fumble, and six passes defended.
While he hasn't been able to put anything on film this season, his efforts since coming to New England have shown enough.
“When you go back through the past, one thing he does a great job of is, you talk about being an effective rusher. He just plays hard and doesn’t stop,” defensive line coach Jerry Montgomery said on Thursday. “So he plays with a really good rush motor. He does a great job there and he’s pretty stout in the run. Effective ballplayer, so it’ll be nice to — at some point in time — get him back.”
Barmore is expected to be out at practice again on Friday, and is scheduled to speak with reporters for the first time this season afterwards.
