Christian Barmore continues to impress at Patriots training camp
Despite the overall dominance of the Patriots’ defense in training camp so far, Christian Barmore’s performance has continued to stand out.
Throughout a full week now of training camp, and a few padded practices as well, the defense has shown to be the superior part of the team so far.
That continued at Tuesday’s practice, as did Christian Barmore‘s impressive performance. The second-year defensive tackle has shown improvement through the first six practices after having a memorable rookie season in 2021.
It’s still early in the preseason, but Barmore appears to be on the path to making the much-discussed second-year jump. Because of the inconsistent production from the defensive line last year, seeing a player at this stage in training camp already making an impact is promising.
Christian Barmore far and away the most impressive #Patriots player through to padded practices. Unblockable. A real problem.
— John Zannis (@John_Zannis) August 2, 2022
Why has Barmore stood out so far on defense?
The first week of training camp is always exciting, but those practices should always be taken with a grain of salt. It’s the first week back of the preseason and there’s no contact during plays/drills. But with this week kicking off with padded practices, a lot more can be seen from each player individually.
On Monday, Barmore was matched up with offensive line star Michael Onwenu during 1-on-1’s. Barmore dominated in their first meet and later, when matched again, would knock Onwenu down to the ground. He would end with good reps against rookie Kody Russey, too.
Couple of beastly reps from Christian Barmore in 1-on-1s. Knocked Mike Onwenu to the ground and then dominated Kody Russey.
— Zack Cox (@ZackCoxNESN) August 2, 2022
His domination continued on Tuesday, as he showed more strength against the offensive line and getting to the quarterback. Barmore racked up what would be a sack and contributed to a complete lack of run-game for the already struggling offense.
More:
— Andrew Callahan (@_AndrewCallahan) August 2, 2022
🏈1st-team offense had 3/5 runs stuffed vs. starting defense in 11-on-11s. Zone scheme needs work.
🏈1-on-1 pass rush winners: Trent Brown, Justin Herron Christian Barmore.
🏈Barmore was a wrecking ball today. Run stuffs, pressure, 1-on-1 pass rush wins.
Practice on Wednesday was slowed down as the team took a break from practicing in full pads. This meant of course that not much actually occurred during practice for either side of the ball.
But Barmore did speak to the media after practice concluded and spoke a lot about what he’s worked on improving this offseason.
“I was training in Texas in the heat. A lot of cardio more than anything, and a lot of footwork drills. I rode the bike, ran the hill, and did a lot of curve drills like running [through] the bags. Did a lot of suicides. That’s my style., Barmore said when speaking about his conditioning.
He went on to discuss how he’s feeling so far entering his second season in the NFL, noting he feels he’s grasping things a lot easier now.
“I’m way more comfortable than how I was last year… I’m learning more faster and literally getting better every day”
Barmore also discussed how much work he’s put into getting better against the run, making it a priority this offseason. As a weakened area of the Patriots defense overall, his work could drastically help this year.
“Playing the run better, playing the stretch [run] better, is really my number one goal. Getting better with playing the run and the footwork and everything.”
As training camp continues and preseason games coming up, Barmore’s performance shows a lot of promise to get even better. After an already successful rookie season, he’s set the bar high for himself but is showing to be on the path of being even better for the Patriots in 2022.