Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel has high expectations for his defense heading into 2026, with one player in particular who he’d like to see take a step forward in the coming months.
After a full season working with Christian Barmore, Vrabel apparently came into this offseason with one key thing he hopes to see from the veteran tackle this season.
The word “finish” seems to be the theme, and Vrabel is setting a high bar for the veteran tackle as Barmore continues preparing for what will be his sixth season in the NFL.
“Well, a very disruptive player. A player that cares a lot, and he’s a player that we have to manage,” said Vrabel on Thursday. “And so, he’s able to get and understand what to do without practicing every single day. And, just want to see him finish with, so does he, but some of those plays that he had in the backfield around the quarterback, and instead of being disruptive, being able to finish those. Because he did that a lot. And try to talk to him about not being frustrated, that those plays impact the game, and it may not show up on a statistical, category. But I think his attitude’s been great. I enjoy working with him. I do. And looking for more of the same next year.”
That was something Vrabel talked about when it came to Barmore at various points in 2025, with the veteran clearly frustrated with where he stood on the stat sheet by the end of the season. Barmore was a disruptive player, finishing third on the team last season in QB hits with 11 behind both Harold Landry (19) and K’Lavon Chaisson (18). However, while both Landry and Chaisson each finished with 8.5 sacks and 7.5 sacks, respectively, Barmore finished with just two.
Clearly, that’s been a focus this offseason that he and Vrabel have discussed, and the hope is that it translates into a bigger performance for him in 2026.
Barmore Still Requires Careful Management
Coming off his blood clot diagnosis in 2024, the Patriots staff did a good job of managing him for the majority of last season. He was limited on the first day of each practice week throughout the season with a “Not Injury Related/Other” designation. He also got banged up at various points, with Barmore’s name also appearing on the injury report with both a back injury ahead of Week 11 and an illness in the finale against Miami.
Still, their approach overall throughout the season clearly worked out, because Barmore never missed a game in 2025.
He was on the field participating in 65.3% of the snaps during the regular season and 66.8% in the postseason.
Barmore said on Thursday that he credits the coaches and training staff for what he was able to do last season.
“Really, just whatever they want me to, when I went to my out here, just, work, you know what I’m saying?” said Barmore. “Of course, every time I was out here, it was always about the grind. So I’m saying, every time what I gotta do, especially since the training staff, I do what I gotta do. I’ll be out here all the time if I need to be. So it doesn’t matter. Let’s get it.”
Plenty of Trust With The Coaches
One thing that definitely stands out is the relationship between Vrabel and Barmore, which certainly seems to have grown over the course of last season.
Oftentimes, players of his caliber can become frustrated playing within the scheme of the defense, without it translating into numbers. But with Vrabel, it’s the little things he appreciates and has spent plenty of time recognizing, which he highlighted with Barmore over that stretch.
That appreciation has clearly gone a long way. Barmore voiced his admiration for both Vrabel and defensive line coach Clinton McMillan, who he credited for being supportive of his position group, along with continuing to coach them hard.
“Well, really, man, to me, they’re really great coaches that I love,” said Barmore. “Coach Vrabel, love Coach Clint [Clinton McMillan], T. Williams [Terrell Williams] and all of them, just the guys that helped me out, help the whole D-line out, especially things we need. They’re not afraid to say things that we need to work on and everything. That’s what I love about them. They’re real with us, and that’s why I respect them the most.”
For now, there’s been somewhat of a transition on defense. Players like defensive tackle Khyris Tonga, and linebackers K’Lavon Chaisson, Jahlani Tavai, and Anfernee Jennings are gone, which changes the dynamic of New England’s defense. The club added veteran Dre’Mont Jones and rookie Gabe Jacas as players who will hopefully make an impact, but this group will definitely have a different feel than it did last season.
For Barmore, he’ll have some continuity upfront. He and Milton Williams will carry the load in the middle of the line, with Corey Durden expected to potentially see additional action this year after a solid performance in 2025.
Despite the turnover, Barmore’s excited about the group he just finished working with this spring, and he’s excited for what’s ahead in the coming months.
“I mean, it’s a special group of guys, we got some new cats in here, some new guys, but they already caught up, I feel like,” said Barmore. “We got some new guys, we got some dogs out here. I feel like they respond to our energy. Everybody ain’t emotional, everybody ain’t none of that. It’s a group of good young guys, all of us. So I feel like all of us, even the vets, we feel like, they just, we all be on the same page. I feel like, we all want the same goal. So, that’s all we focusing on.”
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Ian Logue is a Seacoast native and owner and senior writer for PatsFans.com, an independent media site covering the New England Patriots and has been running this site in one form or another since 1997.
Baremore and Milton were great all year in 2025, but were notably dominant in the in the playoffs. I don’t think any team had better DT play in the middle. They stopped the run and collapsed the pocket.
Not sure if JimK watched the Super Bowl. Gentle reminder that Walker ran for 135 averaging 5 ypc. And if you believe PFF, Barmore was terrible ranking 83 out of 127 and dreadful against the run 125 out of 130. And Milt was 80th / 130 in run def. This line needs to improve. We need Farmer to improve and step up but since he’s known to lack foot quickness, we shouldn’t be overly optimistic.