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New England Patriots coach Mike Vrabel has one goal in mind for defensive tackle Christian Barmore heading into the 2026 season.
He wants Barmore to finish more consistently when pressuring quarterbacks.
Getting to the quarterback is something that Barmore did well earlier in his career. However, injuries have slowed down the defensive tackle over the last two seasons. He hasn't gotten back to the same level of dominance that he displayed in 2023, when he racked up 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, six pass deflections and one forced fumble.
Vrabel sees the potential for another breakout from Barmore, and his comments were surely aimed at motivating and challenging the veteran defender to take things up another notch.
“A very disruptive player. A player that cares a lot," Vrabel told media members. "He’s a player that we have to manage. He’s able to get and understand what to do without practicing every single day. Just want to see him finish, so does he, but those plays that he had in the backfield around the quarterback.
"Instead of being disruptive, being able to finish those because he did that a lot. Tried to talk to him about not being frustrated. That those plays impact the game. They may not show up on a stat sheet. I think his attitude’s been great. I enjoy working with him."
Barmore is a defensive force when healthy and locked in.
Pairing him with Milton Williams last season created one of the best one-two punches in the NFL along the defensive front. The duo showed that they can overwhelm an offensive front and force opposing quarterbacks into feeling uncomfortable.
The next step would be increasing the sack total.
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This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Mike Vrabel challenges DT Christian Barmore with one improvement
Continue reading...
He wants Barmore to finish more consistently when pressuring quarterbacks.
Getting to the quarterback is something that Barmore did well earlier in his career. However, injuries have slowed down the defensive tackle over the last two seasons. He hasn't gotten back to the same level of dominance that he displayed in 2023, when he racked up 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for a loss, six pass deflections and one forced fumble.
Vrabel sees the potential for another breakout from Barmore, and his comments were surely aimed at motivating and challenging the veteran defender to take things up another notch.
“A very disruptive player. A player that cares a lot," Vrabel told media members. "He’s a player that we have to manage. He’s able to get and understand what to do without practicing every single day. Just want to see him finish, so does he, but those plays that he had in the backfield around the quarterback.
"Instead of being disruptive, being able to finish those because he did that a lot. Tried to talk to him about not being frustrated. That those plays impact the game. They may not show up on a stat sheet. I think his attitude’s been great. I enjoy working with him."
Barmore is a defensive force when healthy and locked in.
Pairing him with Milton Williams last season created one of the best one-two punches in the NFL along the defensive front. The duo showed that they can overwhelm an offensive front and force opposing quarterbacks into feeling uncomfortable.
The next step would be increasing the sack total.
Follow Patriots Wire on Twitter and Facebook.
This article originally appeared on Patriots Wire: Mike Vrabel challenges DT Christian Barmore with one improvement
Continue reading...
