New England Patriots defensive end Christian Barmore saw his 2024 season cut short due to something more serious than the typical football injury.
Blood clots forced Barmore to miss all but four games this past year. These medical issues have forced athletes to end their careers across a variety of sports and could have derailed what Barmore had planned for himself and his future.
Fortunately, things appear to be swinging in the right direction now as we move closer to the start of the 2025 campaign. In his first session of the year with the media on Thursday, Barmore disclosed that he is in much better health at this moment and feels confident in the fact that he will be ready to go for New England's regular season opener.
"Yeah. That's the goal. I just have to keep following the medical team. But everything is looking really [good]," Barmore said.
Having Barmore back in the fold from Week 1 on would be a major boost to the defensive front for the Patriots. With the moves that New England has made throughout the offseason, a healthy Barmore lining up next to free agent acquisition Milton Williams would provide Mike Vrabel and company with a rather formidable defensive front.
Since entering the NFL after a standout career at the University of Alabama, Barmore has been a key contributor up front for the Patriots defense. In 44 career appearances, Barmore has a total of 138 tackles, 19 tackles for a loss, and 13.5 quarterback sacks.
As much of a lift that New England will get from Barmore being back on the field, the emotional boost he should provide the locker room cannot be understated. After going through everything that Barmore did, he will be a source of inspiration for not only his teammates but Patriots fans across the globe.