For much of the Patriots' 2025 season, the defense was the main focus and the recipient of the most praise, for good reason. The group went from one of the worst in the league to a top-10 roster in just one season, proving how capable the returning players were alongside the free-agent additions made by the new regime.
Among the most impressive of those on the team in 2024 was Christian Barmore, a second-round draft pick from 2021 who has had an up-and-down career so far in Foxboro.
He had a stellar season in 2023, but health issues sidelined him for much of the next year, so his comeback this past season was beyond impressive.
Partnering with Milton Williams made the duo one of the most dominant in the NFL, and looking at the stats in hindsight, we see just how much work Barmore put in to get back to his 2023 form, underscoring how valuable he has become to the Patriots' defensive identity.
Christian Barmore was one of the best defensive tackles in the NFL in 2026
Tony Holzman-Escareno, who runs the NFL researcher account on Twitter/X, shared an impressive statistic about defenders and their success at pressuring quarterbacks despite being double-teamed.
Barmore ranked No. 2 in the league, only behind Titans' Jeffery Simmons and just above Bucs' legend Vita Vea.
If that's not an indictment of just how good he was throughout last season, then it's hard to say what would be.
Most QB pressures after facing double team in 2025, per @NextGenStats:
— NFL Researcher (@NFL_Researcher) March 15, 2026
1. Jeffery Simmons – 18
2. Christian Barmore – 17
3. Vita Vea – 16
4. Quinnen Williams – 15
5. Calais Campbell - 14
There were rumors going into this offseason that the Patriots might consider moving on from Barmore at some point, and while that may have been a possibility at one point and still could be in the future, Mike Vrabel and Co. don't seem too eager to trade him anytime soon.
In fact, Barmore earned a fully guaranteed contract at the start of the new year earlier this month, so if they wanted to move him, they likely would've done so before that hit the books.
Instead, at least for now, he will continue his partnership with Williams this fall and hope to build upon the dominance they showed last season. They'll certainly need it if they want to maintain that kind of production the defense became known for in 2025, and they already have some impressive additions to help make it easier, with more expected to come.