Patriots Willing To Move DT Christian Barmore?

Barmore, who signed a lucrative extension during the 2024 offseason, has seen his playing time reduced this year. Cory Durden is playing more snaps alongside Milton Williams, and Sports Illustrated’s Albert Breer notes Barmore “could be had” at this year’s deadline.

A UDFA acquired in Bill Belichick’s final year at the helm, Durden has moved into the Pats’ starting lineup; he has started seven games to Barmore’s one. Barmore was a full-time starter last season alongside Williams, and while he bounced back from a 2024 season marred by a blood clot diagnosis, he finished with just two sacks in 17 regular-season games.

Barmore’s 2023 season — which moved him into extension territory, ahead of a four-year, $84MM agreement — is far and away his best, as it included 8.5 sacks and 13 tackles for loss. While the 2021 second-round pick has already reached his second-best sack total this year (three), the Patriots have limited his usage. Explaining Barmore’s reduced early-down work, Mike Vrabel said (via the Boston Herald’s Doug Kyed) his pass-rushing opportunities will be maximized.

Vrabel had not arrived when the Pats paid Barmore, who is on a $12MM base salary this season. Eliot Wolf doled out several deals to Belichick-era acquisitions that offseason — as he had worked under Belichick leading up to a 2024 promotion to the de facto New England GM role — but most of those players are off the roster two years later. The Pats extended Barmore, Rhamondre Stevenson, David Andrews, Kyle Dugger, Jabrill Peppers, Davon Godchaux and Jahlani Tavai that year. Stevenson remains New England’s starting running back, but the club traded Dugger and Godchaux while cutting Andrews, Peppers and Tavai (Andrews has since retired).

The Pats (4-2) sit second in the AFC East, though they do have a win over the Bills. The conference features two surefire contenders in the AFC West (Chiefs, Broncos), and the entire AFC North is over .500. The Patriots subtracted at last year’s deadline, dealing Dugger to the Steelers, so a Barmore move should not be ruled out. It would still be interesting to see if the Pats would be willing to deal away a solid interior rusher in-season.

Considering Barmore’s age (27), the Pats would probably aim higher than the Colts did for DeForest Buckner (32). The accomplished DT fetched a fourth-rounder to return to the 49ers. Barmore, however, would not net anything close to what the Titans acquired for Jeffery Simmons (two first-rounders). Barmore is due nonguaranteed base salaries of $18MM and $19MM in 2027 and ’28, respectively.