FOXBOROUGH - The Patriots played a football game on Sunday, one they eventually lost 28-22 to the Rams, but considering what Christian Barmore had been through since training camp, the result was probably inconsequential to him.
“Still trying to get in game shape, but I felt real good,” the defensive tackle said. “Stuff is out of my lungs now, thank God. I just have to keep grinding, but I feel really good. I feel really good.”
In late July, Barmore felt short of breath early into training camp. After getting checked out by team doctors, Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots which placed him on the non-football illness list.
“Blood clots aren’t a joke,” said Barmore. “ I had real bad shortness of breath, and it messed with me a lot.”
There wasn’t a set timetable table for Barmore to return back to football. Doctors told the defensive lineman he would likely miss the entire season.
“[The doctors] found a red mark on my calf, and I didn’t know [my right calf] was bigger than my left,” said Barmore when talking about his diagnosis. “That’s when they said they needed to take me to the emergency room to see what's going on.”
On Thursday, Barmore practiced for the first time since the diagnosis - without pads. Two days later, the Patriots activated Barmore to the active roster, setting him up to make his season debut against the Rams.
“Man, it was a blessing from God,” Barmore said. “First, [team doctors] said I was going to miss the year, and that hurt. When they said (I was being activated), I was really excited, I was anxious. I couldn’t go to sleep because I was so excited. It was all God, man.”
In his season debut, Barmore played in 21 snaps, recording 14 pass rushes and 3 tackles per Pro Football Focus. Barmore was rotated in and out the entire game, sharing snaps with Davon Godchaux, Daniel Ekuale, and Jeremiah Pharms Jr.
"I would say first and foremost, it was just good to see him out there," Jerod Mayo said on Monday. "There are definitely things we have to work on, and I would say the number one thing is just pad level. It was really his first time being in pads, and I look forward to seeing him continue to progress."
Even with Barmore back on the roster, New England struggled to bring pressure against quarterback Matthew Stafford.
On the second play of the third quarter, the Patriots sent an all-out blitz on 2nd and 9 in hopes of getting pressure on Stafford. Inside a clean pocket, Stafford was able to find Cooper Kupp for a 69-yard touchdown against cornerback Jonathan Jones.
“Yeah, zero-coverage, one-on-one, no man’s land,” said Jones when asked about the play. “That is just on me, got to find a way to make that play.”
Barmore credited David Andrews with helping him through his battle with blood clots. In 2019, Andrews was diagnosed with blood clots which sidelined him for the entire season.
“Man, that man D.A. [David Andrews] is a legend,” said Barmore. “He kept my head up. Every time I needed to talk to him, every time I had my head down, he came up to me. He talked to me, especially hearing his story. That motivated me really well to keep going even stronger, to keep going and keep fighting.”
Barmore also credited the rest of his teammates and his medical team for motivating him through the diagnosis.
“Mentally, I had my teammates, my medical team, my guy Wally [Physician Assistant/Performance Assistant Matt Fuller] that was with me every day grinding,” he said. There were days that I just wanted to stop, but he kept me going. My teammates really support the hell out of me, and I love them all, coaches and all. I told myself I was not going to lose that battle. I told myself I was going to keep fighting, keep going.”
In April, Barmore signed a four-year contract that made him one of the highest-paid defensive tackles in the NFL. The deal gave Barmore $41.8 million in guaranteed money with a chance to receive a maximum of $92 million. Barmore received his extension after a strong 2023 campaign which saw the defensive lineman record a career-high 8.5 sacks and 38 combined quarterback hits.
“Never give up. Don’t quit, " Barmore said. “There’s gonna be days where you don’t wanna come in and see people, but I told myself every day people support me and people like who I am. I have a lot of support here from this organization especially when we come back.”