RUMOR: Alex Highsmith?

Pape said:

Yeah, I don't want to move Boutte... with that said, I'd strongly have to consider this now the Brown trade has been finalized...

Pure player for player swap, i'm in... would not give up anything else except maybe a late round pick swap, 5th or so... Thats it... Boutte is more valuable than some here seem to think...

Click to expand...

Agree I don’t want to move him either…..getting better every year and this year he will have Brown opening up more looks for him…..

DaBruinz said:

Thibodeaux: - 6'5 - 258lbs - 25.4 yrs old
2025 numbers: 3 sacks, 6 QB hits, 23 hurries on 324 pass rushing snaps - 1 pressure every every 10.125 snaps.
Career Numbers: 26 sacks, 31 QB Hits, 101 hurries on 1668 pass rushing snaps - 1 pressure every

Alex Highsmith - 6'3 1/8" - 28 lbs - 28.8 years
2025 Numbers: 10 sacks, 9 QB Hits, 25 pressures on 351 pass rushing snaps - 1 pressure ever 7.98 snaps
Career: 51 sacks, 47 QB hits, 186 pressures on 2452 pass rushing snaps - 1 pressure 8.63 snaps.


So, Thibodeaux is younger and the Pats have some knowledge of him based on Cowden and Shane Bowen.

Highsmith is more polished. He's better against the run and he misses fewer tackles than Thibodeaux.

Click to expand...

Real fan 02 said:

Barmore is going to play like a man on a mission he's in contract year.. amazing how that can get the best out of guys.. Barmore is a dam good player but disappeared for large Stretches last season.. wolf even admitted it. He had a dam good playoffs though..

Click to expand...

Barmore is great player.....with caveats.
His disappearing act goes back to his days at Bama and why he dropped to the 2nd rd.
Did you see him the college playoffs his last year? He was a one man wrecking crew, literally unblockable, but motor and want to has always been a question with him.
The fact that we still talk about this years later is why he's not talked about as one of the greats, and he certainly has that ability when he wants to.
Then add in the legal issues he's had, and he's still proving to be immature and entitled.
Great player, needs to grow up once and for all and be a full time pro.

UGAPatsfan said:

Literally had a press conference this week where reporters asked Durden how he feels about being the primary nose tackle now.

Click to expand...

Durden weighed 290 pounds when he entered the league, he has bulked up to 305 if the Patriots website is to be believed. But just because some beat reporters don't know what an actual nose tackle is, or think it's Durden by default... doesn't make it so.

He's a nice story, a "try hard" guy and I think a solid rotational piece... but he's a far cry from 335 pound Tonga or even 315 uber strong and athletic Barmore.

If they don't want to roster a large immovable object fine, they should plug Onwenu in there on short downs, he was a two-way player in college. Of course they probably should have extended him for longer if they're going to ask him to do it. But considering they probably won't do this, Barmore is their last option and it's suboptimal to have just him.

Like I said earlier, if Christian Wilkins can pass a physical and mental wellness check he might be a better addition than another edge player like some here are clamoring for.

Real fan 02 said:

Barmore is going to play like a man on a mission he's in contract year.. amazing how that can get the best out of guys.. Barmore is a dam good player but disappeared for large Stretches last season.. wolf even admitted it.

Click to expand...

Wolf said Barmore disappeared for large stretches last season... provide a link or proof of that?

That sounds fictional.

DoubleDeluxe said:

Barmore is great player.....with caveats.
His disappearing act goes back to his days at Bama and why he dropped to the 2nd rd.
Did you see him the college playoffs his last year? He was a one man wrecking crew, literally unblockable, but motor and want to has always been a question with him.
The fact that we still talk about this years later is why he's not talked about as one of the greats, and he certainly has that ability when he wants to.
Then add in the legal issues he's had, and he's still proving to be immature and entitled.
Great player, needs to grow up once and for all and be a full time pro.

Click to expand...

He really, really loves Vrabel by the interviews I remember from last year. I think if there's anyone that can bring him into that form, it'll be Vrabel. Sometimes it really can just boil down to having a coach that you are willing to listen to.

Wozzy said:

Wolf said Barmore disappeared for large stretches last season... provide a link or proof of that?

That sounds fictional.

Click to expand...

No, it's true. We've discussed this on the board before. Wolf was being pretty easy on him here, but I know exactly what he's referring to. It was when Williams got injured and the run defense plummeted. Most media agrees he wasn't very good in 2025.

"Wolf on Christian Barmore: "Christian has grown up quite a bit, and we continue to help him with that. And he continues to want to make improvements in that area. So, yeah, he's continued to improve on the field. He had a little bit of a lull in the middle of the season there. He wasn't playing quite as well, but kicked it up again at the end, and continues to be a key cog in there for us."

Giardi: NFL Notebook - What do the Patriots really think of their roster; Plus, trade target?

The Patriots don’t want to use the word "rebuild," but they had a lot of work to do, especially given how the drafts went in 2022, 2023, and 2024 (with a few exceptions). That they ended up in the Super Bowl didn’t change that. The roster needs work.

www.bostonsportsjournal.com

Vindicate said:

He really, really loves Vrabel by the interviews I remember from last year. I think if there's anyone that can bring him into that form, it'll be Vrabel. Sometimes it really can just boil down to having a coach that you are willing to listen to.

Click to expand...

Another full year removed from blood clots should also help him.

In the first two weeks of the 2025 season, Barmore was double-teamed on 54.4% of his pass rushes, which ranked as the sixth-highest rate among all NFL defensive tackles. After Week 3, offensive coordinators began targeting Milton Williams more frequently. Williams' double-team rate rose to 50% (13th among DTs), which alleviated some pressure on Barmore.

This dynamic created a "pick your poison" scenario for opponents. When teams doubled Williams, Barmore often exploited one-on-one matchups to generate pressure, and vice versa.

When Williams returned from injury late in the season, Barmore’s double-team rate had been as high as 43.1% during Williams' absence, confirming that Barmore absorbed the bulk of the blocking attention when playing alone.

Despite the heavy attention all season, Barmore remained highly effective. He finished the season ranked 2nd in the entire NFL in quarterback pressures generated while facing double teams, recording 17 such pressures. Only Tennessee’s Jeffery Simmons (18) had more.

Across all situations (single and double teams), Barmore registered 50 total pressures, 11 quarterback hits, and 2.0 sacks over 17 games.

TheRainMaker said:

No, it's true. We've discussed this on the board before. Wolf was being pretty easy on him here. Most media agrees he wasn't very good in 2025.

"Wolf on Christian Barmore: "Christian has grown up quite a bit, and we continue to help him with that. And he continues to want to make improvements in that area. So, yeah, he's continued to improve on the field. He had a little bit of a lull in the middle of the season there. He wasn't playing quite as well, but kicked it up again at the end, and continues to be a key cog in there for us."

Giardi: NFL Notebook - What do the Patriots really think of their roster; Plus, trade target?

The Patriots don’t want to use the word "rebuild," but they had a lot of work to do, especially given how the drafts went in 2022, 2023, and 2024 (with a few exceptions). That they ended up in the Super Bowl didn’t change that. The roster needs work.

www.bostonsportsjournal.com

Click to expand...

Sounds like Wolf is beginning negotiations on the next contract. Barmore is another player whose guaranteed money is almost gone. Elliot can use "lull in the middle of the season" as a cudgel in negotiations.