Patriots Could Be NFL's Best in One Massive Area

While the New England Patriots' offense was definitely their biggest issue last season, their defense displayed some noticeable slippage as well.

Yes, part of that was due to a lack of overall talent, but we must also remember that defensive tackle Christian Barmore missed most of the 2024 campaign due to blood clots.

Now, Barmore is on the mend and appears to be full steam ahead for next season, and the Patriots also landed him a great running mate in Milton Williams via free agency.

The tandem of Barmore and Williams will certainly be intriguing heading into 2025, and Justin Trombino of Chowder & Champions went as far to say that they could comprise one of the best duos in the NFL.

"Regardless of how the Patriots run the defense and the plays they use, it all rests on the ability to get to the backfield from the guys up front with Barmore and Williams," Trombino wrote. "... The pairing of Barmore and Williams could become the best defensive duo in the league."

It may be easy to forget how dominant Barmore is given that he played in just four games last season, but back in 2023, he racked up 64 tackles and 8.5 sacks in a breakout campaign.

Then there is Williams, the former Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl hero who signed a gargantuan four-year, $104 million contract with the Patriots back in March.

Williams has a whole lot to prove, as he has never even played in 50 percent of his team's defensive snaps in any individual season, but there is no doubt that he flashed considerable talent with 24 tackles and five sacks in 2024, not to mention four tackles and two sacks in the Eagles' Super Bowl win over the Kansas City Chiefs.

It certainly seems a bit premature to place such a label on the Barmore-Williams combination, but New England's defensive front should certainly be better than it was a year ago. That's for sure.