New England Patriots: 3 biggest questions entering 2022 training camp

The last of the three major concerns as the New England Patriots begin summer camp is their defensive line. Like the linebacking corps, little was done in the offseason to improve this unit which basically can boast Christian Barmore and a lot of average players.

Barmore is the shining light here. A 2021 second-round pick (in this case a masterful trade-up), Barmore had an impressive rookie campaign and seems dedicated to becoming even better,

"When it comes to physicality and impact, New England Patriots big defensive tackle Christian Barmore displayed plenty of that in his rookie season.  The scare part of that is that there is still room for improvement which all together makes one dominant beast in the middle of the defensive line. It will also mean Bill Belichick struck gold when he traded up to snag the Alabama product in the second round of the 2021 NFL season."

That’s a problem for opposing interior offensive lineman. Barmore on the nose, his best position (though he’s not built like a prototypical nose tackle), is essentially unblockable even with a double team. He’s that good. The problem is what’s available after Barmore. It’s not much.

The line is littered with players who are decent but not exceptional. They are what could be termed steady but again, nothing special.  These include the reliable veteran Lawrence Guy and last season’s big free agent defensive tackle splash, Davon Godchaux.

Godchaux was OK with 65 total tackles, a sack, and a forced fumble, but again, nothing special.

Also, still around are Dietrich Wise Jr, an OK tackle/end hybrid, and Carl Davis. Neither is going to strike fear into any opposing quarterback or running back for that matter.

Rounding out the unit are Henry Anderson (injured for much of 2021), and likely camp bodies DaMarcus Mitchell, and new signing Jeremiah Pharms. One other defensive tackle, Daniel Ekuale showed flashed last season after coming in after a few games but he’ll be suspended for the first two games of 2022.

And lastly, there is 2022 sixth-round draft pick, Sam Roberts, from Northwest Missouri State. Roberts is intriguing as he was the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year.

While small college players have an enormous bridge to gap when entering the NFL, a good player is supposed to dominate at a lower level and that’s exactly what Roberts did. He’s a long shot, of course, but why not get lucky on a small college star as the Patriots did with the far more heralded but still small college phenom, Kyle Dugger a couple of years ago.

In sum, there’s Barmore and not a lot else on the defensive line and the omission of drafting a top defensive tackle is one that could haunt the Patriots all season long.

So there are three major areas of concern as the New England Patriots enter their 2022 training camp. Could there be surprises in each of these areas? Hopefully, there will be. Since the offense looks to be primed for a top season, a better-than-predicted defense could pave the way right back into the playoffs.

However, don’t expect too much from them. They’ve improved little if at all in the first two levels over a squad that was pummeled by Buffalo twice last season. And Buffalo, Miami, and even the Jets will continue to get better. The offense will definitely have to carry this team, and if they can’t, it will be a long season in Foxborough with no playoff berth anywhere in sight.