Patriots' Christian Barmore Is Out To Prove He's Still Himself In 2025
New England Patriots defensive tackle Christian Barmore has returned in full after being limited to ... More four games due to blood clots in 2024. (Photo by Jessica Rinaldi/The Boston Globe via Getty Images)
Christian Barmore intends on keeping last year behind him.
After missing all but four games in 2024 due to complications stemming from blood clots, the New England Patriots defensive tackle has been medically cleared for a full return in 2025. And since players reported back to Gillette Stadium for the offseason workout program, he's been among them from April into June.
That's the plan moving forward.
'That stuff I went through, man, I would never, ever want anybody to go through that," Barmore told reporters following Monday's session of mandatory minicamp. "That stuff, imagine someone stopping you from breathing, literally like stopping you. Now, I can breathe again. Now, them lungs open up, so it's like what's up. I'm good, man. Good to go. Green light.'
The 25-year-old Barmore had been placed on the non-football illness list as active rosters around the NFL reduced to 53 last August. He was moved back to the list in December after experiencing recurring symptoms.
In between the shutdowns arrived 123 defensive snaps. Those snaps brought one sack and six total tackles.
'There's really just a lot of fire in my heart," Barmore said. "I can say that because I feel like after that situation, people forgot who I am. So I'm just really bringing a lot of competitive with me. Every day when I'm on this field, it's just to prove that I'm still me and I'm always going to be me.'
Last spring, Barmore signed a four-year, $84 million contract extension with New England. It carried a maximum value of $92 million as well as $41.8 million in guarantees.
The agreement came on the heels of a 2023 campaign that spanned 64 tackles, 13 tackles for loss and a team-high 8.5 sacks for Barmore. Pro Football Focus charted his degree of disruption for 49 combined quarterback pressures. He also had a hand in six pass breakups and one forced fumble while appearing in every game.
'I feel really confident in myself because, one, I'm breathing, talking," the 6-foot-5, 315-pound Barmore said as sights turn toward training camp. "I'm just having fun, talking stuff, talking smack. Just having a good time with my teammates and playing hard.'
Since landing in Foxborough at pick No. 38 overall in the 2021 NFL draft, the former University of Alabama national champion's run has included 48 games, 139 tackles, 19 tackles for loss, 13.5 sacks and 11 starts.
And now, a restart.
'Well, I'm not going to comment on Christian's medical status. I'll leave that up to him, but what I've seen is a player that is excited and that is coachable,' Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel said during his Monday press conference. 'Extremely coachable. He has some versatility. He's rushed inside. He's lined up outside. He's worked extremely hard. You've seen him chase and play with great effort down the field. I'm excited to see where he's at, but I've seen a lot of just improvement and a lot of engagement from him since the time that we've been here.'
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Yahoo
16 minutes ago
- Yahoo
Jeremy Reaves, known for his versatility on special teams, becomes one of the NFL's highest-paid players at his position by signing with the Washington Commanders.
Jeremy Reaves, known for his versatility on special teams, becomes one of the NFL's highest-paid players at his position by signing with the Washington Commanders. originally appeared on Athlon Sports. The Washington Commanders have signed defensive back and special teams star Jeremy Reaves to a one-year contract extension, keeping him in the nation's capital through the 2026 season. Advertisement According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the deal makes Reaves one of the NFL's highest-paid players at his position. Reaves' last contract signed before the 2024 season was worth $6 million over two seasons. His base salary for this year is set at $2.08 million with a $750,000 signing bonus. Reaves is entering his eighth year with the franchise in 2025 after going un-drafted in 2018 out of South Alabama. Last season, he appeared in all 17 games with 317 special teams snaps, the second most of his career. Reaves only saw four snaps on defense and finished the season with 20 total tackles and one forced fumble. Advertisement Reaves, 28, is a former Pro Bowler and First Team All-Pro selection from 2022 after rising up the ranks throughout his career. He had multiple stints on Washington's practice squad before earning a full-time roster spot. In 202, he suffered a knee injury five games into the season, then was able to return for a full 2024 slate. He now stays with the Commanders for at least the next two seasons under second-year head coach Dan Quinn and special teams coordinator Larry Izzo. Related: Commanders' Jayden Daniels Named 'Dark Horse' MVP Candidate Related: Commanders' Dan Quinn Offers One-Word Key Amid Terry McLaurin Holdout This story was originally reported by Athlon Sports on Jun 11, 2025, where it first appeared.
New York Times
17 minutes ago
- New York Times
A Christian Walker turnaround can change Astros' trade deadline priorities
HOUSTON — An answer to the Houston Astros' most apparent need is already in their clubhouse. He switched lockers some time last month, hoping to harness a sliver of luck amid an otherwise subpar season. Christian Walker went 8-for-42 across his next 12 games, negating whatever nirvana the superstition may have spurred. He averaged at least a 96.5 exit velocity during eight of those 12 contests, continuing a confluence of poor luck and putrid results. Advertisement 'Sometimes it can get really frustrating when you don't get your hits,' manager Joe Espada said. 'You see other players (get) end-of-the-bat knocks, and they get lucky on some of these balls. You as a hitter, you're like, 'Man, I'm doing everything I can to put the barrel on the ball and they're not falling for me.'' Few aspects of Walker's horrific start have been more frustrating. Stretches of three or four games have offered hope for a turnaround, only for the subsequent seven or eight to erase all momentum. For instance, he had a three-RBI game on May 11, only to follow it with a 5-for-47 funk. So, assign proper perspective to Walker's first four-RBI game as an Astro on Wednesday night. The beleaguered first baseman broke out of a brutal slump in a season full of them, spearheading a 10-2 shellacking of the Chicago White Sox with his first three-hit game since May 25. ALL-STAR SMASH.#VoteWalker ⭐️ — Houston Astros (@astros) June 12, 2025 Walker's performance raised his OPS to .653. He hasn't had a higher one since that aforementioned outburst on May 11. The anemia that followed is the story of Walker's season. Whether he can avoid it is the Astros' most pertinent question. Parlaying a performance like Wednesday into something more sustainable would crystallize the club's focus toward the July 31 trade deadline. A left-handed hitter and starting pitcher sit atop the Astros' wish list, but any prolonged success from Walker may alter their priorities. The development would lessen Houston's urgency to address a lineup still missing Yordan Alvarez, its most potent left-handed threat. Alvarez's return — whenever it arrives — already represents a pseudo-deadline acquisition, but pairing him with a well-performing Walker would be a permutation Houston hasn't yet seen this season. Advertisement 'The nature of the at-bats — taking good pitches, swinging at good pitches — I feel good,' Walker said. 'I'm happy with how competitive I feel in the box right now.' Walker still awoke Wednesday with a .623 OPS. Of the 17 qualified major-league hitters with a lower one, only Michael Harris III and Willy Adames had taken more plate appearances. Of the 27 players worth fewer wins above replacement, just Kansas City Royals catcher Salvador Perez had played more than Walker. Like Perez, Walker has salary, service time and status as a respected veteran that afford an almost endless runway to correct whatever ails him. Houston's lack of other options only widens it. Walker will start at first base and slot somewhere in the middle of the Astros' order regardless of what the club does during the trade deadline. Espada slid Walker to the five-hole before the series opener against the White Sox on Tuesday. In 147 plate appearances as the cleanup hitter, Walker slugged .296. 'It's trusting the process and having the confidence that, at some point, this is going to turn,' Espada said. 'He knows this tide will turn for him.' Finding better fortune is a factor, but Walker still boasts his highest chase rate, whiff rate and strikeout rate of the past four seasons. He entered Monday with a .208 batting average and, according to Statcast, a .243 expected batting average. Forty-three of Walker's 74 strikeouts have come with a runner on base, problematic for an offense that has scored the sport's seventh-fewest runs. Whether a wholesale turnaround from Walker and full health from Alvarez will fix that is what general manager Dana Brown must ponder over the next seven weeks. Even if both of those circumstances come to pass, a left-handed bench bat or outfield platoon partner would be beneficial for an imbalanced roster. Either would profile as cheaper for an Astros team short on tradeable assets. Focusing the few they have on fortifying a pitching staff staggered by injuries is another byproduct of Walker's potential renaissance. Advertisement Gauging whether one is looming is difficult. Hammering a hanging slider for a two-run home run during Wednesday's first inning ignited the dugout, but it should be standard for someone of Walker's caliber. A more telling sequence came two frames later. Four-seam fastballs have flummoxed the first baseman all season, strange for a player who produced a run value of nine against the pitch last year, according to Baseball Savant. Walker entered Wednesday with a minus-1 run value against the pitch. His .203 batting average against them was 43 points lower than last season and 79 away from the career-best mark he established in 2023. Opponents are aware and attempting to seize advantage. During the third inning, White Sox starter Sean Burke believed he did. Walker waved through one of his elevated four-seamers to even the count at 1. 'It's something we're working on for sure, but it's hard to plan for that,' Walker said. 'You start looking at the top and you get your hanger and you miss it because you're looking for something else.' Drivin' in the runs. #VoteWalker ⭐️ — Houston Astros (@astros) June 12, 2025 Part of Walker's work to remedy the problem involves 'maybe daring guys to go up there,' reasoning that 'if they miss a spot two inches, three inches lower, now we're talking about a ball that can get hit 107, 108 (mph).' Burke did. The 1-1 four-seamer he threw grazed the top rail of Walker's strike zone. He struck it 106 mph into the left-center field gap. Two runs came home. 'It felt good to turn that around,' Walker said.
Washington Post
20 minutes ago
- Washington Post
Rickea Jackson scores a career-high 30 points to help the Sparks beat the Aces
LAS VEGAS — Rickea Jackson scored a career-high 30 points, Azura Stevens had 19 points and 10 rebounds and the Los Angeles Sparks beat the Las Vegas Aces 97-89 on Wednesday night. The Aces were without star center A'ja Wilson for the final 11 minutes of the game after she left with 1:17 left in the third quarter with a head injury. She was accidentally hit in the face on Dearica Hamby's drive to the basket.
