In a Move No One Could've Seen Coming, the Patriots Have Put Christian Barmore on the Trading Block
Maddie Meyer. Getty Images.Whatever else you might have thought about the 2026 Patriots going into this season, one area I think we call could've agreed one was the interior of the defensive line. Before Christian Gonzalez signed his extension mere hours before the season opener, Milton Williams was the highest paid player in franchise history, and was earning it. They had the usual rotation of tackles, including Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, and Leonard Taylor. And the fixture on the inside since they packaged three picks to move up eight spots in the 2nd round to draft him in 2021, remained Christian Barmore. Who, along with Rhamondre Stevenson, is the only surviving member of that Pats draft class that helped Bill Belichick win the Executive of the Year Award.
I'll pause to mention that when they made that move up to get him, I made it personal in a blog that I can't link to because I get an error message:
There are a couple of reasons this really hurts, neither of which has anything to do with Christian Barmore, who is a solid, blue chip prospect. The first is strictly professional. When the Patriots re-signed defensive tackles Lawrence Guy and Deatrich Wise, Jr., kept Byron Cowart and signed Henry Anderson (from the Jets) and Davon Godchaux (from the Dolphins), it just didn't seem that interior DL was much of a priority. At least not worth me spending hours of my precious, invaluable time pouring over their heights, weights and 40 times. So I skipped the position and focused on more immediate areas of Patriots needs.
The other reason is personal. I had a two hour conversation with my oldest brother Jack Wednesday. The one who raised me from birth like a veal calf to be a Patriots draft guru. And he specifically mentioned Christian Barmore as someone he was targeting. True story.
Not the first time my brother got one right when I was dead wrong, and I'm sure it wasn't the last. I'd just forgotten about this one until now. It's funny how little things can send you down the rabbit hole of remembering someone. RIP, man.
And the pick has unquestionably paid off. Barmore got the coveted, and rare, second contract in 2024, good for between $84-$92 million. He missed most of that season with blood clots, but came back fully healthy to team up with Williams on the AFC champions last year. And has been making impact plays this season:
That second one should have given the Pats a fighting chance in Chicago. But Cairo Santos made the kick of his life to make it a two score game and effectively end it.
So everything looked to be going according to plan. But looks can be deceiving. While we were dazzled by the high impact plays, the coaches have been reducing Barmore's snaps, playing Durden more, and transitioning him into more of a pass rush specialist role:
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…2026 snap rate vs. run: 36%
2026 snap rate vs. pass: 56%
2025 snap rate vs. run: 62.8%
2025 snap rate vs. pass: 67.4%
2026 snap rate on early downs: 40%
2026 snap rate on third down: 74.6%
2025 snap rate on early downs: 59.6%
2025 snap rate on third down: 84%
I think I can identify the major flaw their seeing in Barmore's game. One that is especially relevant given they just came off a loss in which they missed 17 tackles. He's been leading the team in miss rate. At least among starters. And it's not been trending well:
2022: 0.0% miss rate
2023: 6.7%
2024: 0.0% (four games played)
2025: 25.0%
2026: 25.0%
Giphy Images.What can't be overlooked here is that his has been a mini bye week in the middle of the season, which is a time when the well-run teams did deeper into the self-scouting than usual. Presumably the film review has shown that Barmore is a liability. Maybe teams are running at him. Or fronts designed to get him in the running back hole are succeeding, but he's failing to wrap up. I can't pretend to know. But whatever is showing up on the tape, Mike Vrabel and Zak Kuhr aren't seeing 90 million bucks worth of productivity. And are probably hoping to invest more heavily (literally) into a run-stuffing force and a more sure tackler in the middle of the defensive front.
I'm just spit-balling here. But it's the only explanation that makes any sense when you announce to the world you're treating one of your core defensive players as a distressed asset that you're looking to get out from under. There'll no doubt be a market for Barmore's services, but the Pats will likely have to eat a not unsubstantial portion of the deal they signed him to just three years ago. Before Vrabel arrived.
Regardless, let's hope a deal comes soon, and they get someone in return who can help right away. Teams determined to compete for a Lombardi can't be dumping talent in the middle of a season. Stay tuned.