Patriots' Barmore Cleared: Ready to Play After Health Issues

New England Patriots starting defensive tackle Christian Barmore has been cleared to return to football activities. The player himself confirmed this Thursday, after overcoming a setback that cut short his 2024 season due to the recurrence of blood clots.

Barmore, who anticipates his full participation in organized voluntary activities starting next week, is also optimistic about his availability for the season opener on September 7 against the Las Vegas Raiders.

Yes. That is the goal. I just have to follow the medical team, but everything is going very well.
Christian Barmore

Last season, Barmore was limited to four games after being placed on the non-football illness list in early December. However, he has been a consistent participant in the Patriots’ voluntary offseason program for the past six weeks.

Barmore revealed that he has established a friendly competition with defensive tackle Milton Williams, who signed a record contract with New England.

That’s my guy. We see who’s first in the gym. Who’s first in the meeting room. We’ve always been competing.
Christian Barmore

The potential combination of Williams and Barmore at defensive tackle could provide Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel with a potent duo for a defense that hopes to “play on the opposite side of the line of scrimmage.”

Barmore, selected in the second round of the 2021 draft from the University of Alabama, signed a four-year, $92 million contract extension last season. In his career, he has played in 48 games, accumulating 139 tackles (19 for loss of yards) and 13.5 sacks.

Initially, he was diagnosed with blood clots at the end of July, missing the first 10 games of the season. Then, he returned to play in four games before experiencing the reappearance of symptoms.

On Thursday, Barmore declined to answer a question about whether doctors know what caused the recurrence. However, he acknowledged the impact it had on him, saying he felt confused and angry at the time.