FOXBOROUGH - It's not often that elite players in the NFL get to free agency in their mid-20s. With the way teams manage the cap now, those types usually get a second contract from the team that drafted them. But every once in a while, there's a confluence of events that lets a player of Milton Williams' caliber hit the open market. The Patriots, with more money than they knew what to do with, pounced, doling out $51 million in guaranteed dollars over the first two years of the deal.
When you do that for a player that no one on the coaching staff or front office had any crossover with, it's a risk. But the Eagles staff raved about the 26-year-old, and thus far, he has come as advertised, including embracing the extra pressure Mike Vrabel has put on him.
"Early on, that was something that was important to know, was that he wanted to lead, and there has been zero pushback," said Vrabel. "He's fun to coach, he's very mature, and so there's zero reservation about his leadership ability. He's here a lot; he's here all the time. He shows up early, gets plenty of work in, he takes care of his body, and he's a true pro."
Williams has been visible on the interior of the Pats' defensive line the first two days of camp. Obviously, the team isn't in full pads, but you can see a quick first step that helped him put up impressive pass-rushing numbers (40 total pressures in 500 snaps) during his final season for the Super Bowl champion Eagles. You can also feel his energy.
“Shoot, it's at 100 right now," said Williams. "Just getting this opportunity to come play for this organization, them believing in me and trusting me to come out here and lead these guys with Christian (Barmore). It’s on us to make this defense go. Like I told him when we’ve been talking to each other, it’s going to go as we go. Every day we come out here, we’ve got to set the tone, and everybody else is going to follow.”
That's the plan, although Barmore worked off to the side on Thursday after being a full go on Wednesday. He wouldn't tell us why.
"Ask the coaches," he said - but a team source indicated this is how they plan to manage the 25-year-old after he missed much of last season due to blood clots.
As I noted this spring, Barmore is leaner. That's part of his plan.
"Oh, you've seen it," he laughed when asked about his weight.
Barmore told me he played between 315 and 320 two years ago when he really emerged as one of the better two-way defensive tackles in the game. Now the goal is to hover around 305 - "eat your veggies," he said - but without losing his power.
"I feel so fast. I feel lighter and feel way quicker. And I feel like I move way better. It's the best I move (and) I've felt since I've been in the league."
The player Barmore will line up alongside, Williams, typically weighs in at a touch under 300 pounds. So far, he's only come off the field when the defensive coaches have switched units from the 1s to the 2s. Some of the bigger bodies struggle a bit this early in camp. Not Williams.
“Everybody been asking me did I go on vacation. I’m like, ‘We didn’t have no time for vacation,’” he said. “We only had like four or five weeks. When I got home, I probably took three days to relax a little bit, but got right back to it. Conditioning, D-line work with coach Pete (Jenkins), down in Frisco, did a little boxing, and just trying to do anything I can to make sure I’m in shape and ready to go.”
Yep, you read right. Boxing.
“It’s good for hand-eye coordination, but most importantly, it’s good for cardio,” said Williams. “The hardest part, I feel like, is keeping your hands up, keeping your feet moving. And them three-minute rounds, they get long. It’s good for when you come out here. In between plays, unless they’re going tempo, you probably get like 30-40 seconds, so you’re feeling good with the minute break that you get in boxing. It helps you recover faster and make your tank bigger.”
As Vrabel noted in the free agent's introductory press conference, the days of Williams repping only 45% of the snaps need to be long gone and hard to find. The former Louisiana Tech Bulldog began the unorthodox training method two off-seasons ago. He feels it's made a big difference.
"Definitely, whenever I was on the field, I felt like I could play as hard as I could til I came out," he said. "Every time I'm on the field, I try to do that."
The Pats are betting Williams can continue to grow as a player. If Barmore returns to pre-injury form, the Pats will have one of the best and most explosive interior defensive lines in football locked up for several seasons. If they don't, well, regrets, they've had few (I wrote that in my best Frank Sinatra voice).
BOURNE KNOWS
A year ago, Kendrick Bourne had yet to be cleared for contact as he recovered from a late October 2023 ACL tear, beginning training camp on the PUP. Bourne himself didn't suit up for his first game until week 5.
Flash forward to today, where the veteran wideout marveled at Stefon Diggs, who just so happened to have torn his ACL almost at the exact same time a year later.
“We talk about him all the time. It’s frigging impressive,” said Bourne. “I just ... from my experience, I was like, ‘Bro, I wasn’t even close to that.’"
Bourne went on to compare Diggs to a future Hall of Fame running back who did something similar.
“It’s an honor to see, like, I’ll be talking about Adrian Peterson, and when he came back from his ACL in the past, and he was just explosive,” he said. “I tease (Diggs), ‘Hey man, you’re looking good. You’re looking like you’re going to have an AP kind of year from it.' He’ll be laughing and joking.
“But he’s worked hard. You can see the results.”
Peterson tore up his knee (ACL and MCL) in December of 2011. Not only did he return for the season opener, but he finished the year as the league's MVP, rushing for over 2,000 yards and scoring 12 touchdowns. With the issues and ineptitude the Pats have had at the wide receiver position, if Diggs managed to hit 1,000 yards receiving, the team might have to build him a statue.