Bill Belichick clearly could not stand to watch another season of shoddy run defense from the New England Patriots. Fans may have found themselves frustrated with the team’s passing offense, but I’d be willing to bet Belichick felt stronger about the shortcomings in the defensive interior.
That’s why the Patriots coach and de-facto general manager traded up to get Barmore, a physically freaky interior player who stands at 6-foot-4 and 310 pounds. He’s not Vince Wilfork. Barmore’s size and speed combination is more of a reflection of the trend of lighter interior players, who can do a mix of run defense and disruptive interior pass-rushing.
Barmore and veterans Davon Godchaux (a free agency signing) and Lawrence Guy will make for a very stout combination of players with different styles of play. Even Byron Cowart and Henry Anderson (another free agency signing) will contribute to the defensive line rotation, likely moving between defensive tackle and defensive end. With all that depth, Barmore may not need to take a starting role right away. But he will definitely have a situational role.
Here’s some of what he can offer, per NFL.com’s Lance Zuerlein.
“He’s exceptional at finding a blocker’s edge and swiping past the outside hand to bring the ruckus inside the pocket. While he has similar size and skill set, it doesn’t feel like he’s as long at the point of attack as past Alabama defensive tackles now in the pros. Barmore’s explosive first step, violent hands and upper-body power are the ingredients of a three-down defender with the versatility to play a number of positions in an even or odd front as an impactful rookie starter.”
That’s a perfect defender for Belichick to develop. If the Patriots can dminish the inconsistencies and mental errors in Barmore’s game, he will be a fascinating player for the coach to deploy, whether it’s as an edge-setting defensive end on early downs or a third-down interior pass-rusher — or both.
