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The New England Patriots got some bad and then good news about the injury to Christian Barmore.
At one point, the immediate posts regarding the injury offered a mostly negative outlook. After all, Barmore was carted off the field, which is almost always a bad sign. NFL.com’s Mike Giardi tweeted:
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ESPN’s Mike Reiss tweeted:
Hours later, the news seemed to get a bit more positive after some initial examinations of Barmore’s knee were done. According to NFL.com’s Ian Rapoport, this was good news, but the definitive word won’t come until after Barmore has an MRI.
The hope is that Barmore’s injury isn’t too severe. It seems unlikely he’ll be available to play in the Patriots’ Wildcard Weekend matchup with the Buffalo Bills.
This is a less-than-ideal turn of events for the Patriots’ roster, but moreover, the hope is that Barmore isn’t badly injured. He’s been the highest-graded rookie interior defender in the NFL this year according to Pro Football Focus.
While the Patriots would love to have him on the field, at this point–especially based on the way the injury looked initially–many smart fans would be happy if Barmore’s recovery doesn’t span into the offseason.
How Christian Barmore’s Injury Happened
The rookie defensive tackle who has made a strong impact on the team’s defense was injured on the biggest play of the game during the Patriots’ 33-24 loss to the Miami Dolphins in Week 18.
Barmore was chasing Dolphins QB Tua Tagovailoa as he scrambled for the first down that sealed Miami’s win. Barmore couldn’t catch the Fins’ nimble QB and his teammate Joejuan Williams collided with him as both Patriots failed to corral Tagovailoa before he secured the clinching first down.
Here is a look at the play:
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Patriots Will Miss Barmore if He Misses Time
Bill Belichick has been complimentary of his rookie DT’s performance and work ethic. Last month he told the media about several positive aspects of Barmore’s game.
“I gotta give that kid a lot of credit,” Belichick said to members of the local media. “He comes in early. Stays late. Works on his flexibility. His strength. His technique. He’s really applied himself. He’s done better and better every week.”
If Barmore cannot play on Saturday when the Patriots travel back to Orchard Park for a third meeting with the Bills, expect to see this week’s practice squad call-up Daniel Ekuale getting some time at the position. New England isn’t deep at the position and they also don’t have a ton of bodies on their practice squad to turn to for depth.
If Barmore is going to be out for the entire postseason–assuming the Patriots get by the Bills–New England may need to add a player or two to their practice squad to ensure they have enough bodies.
Stay tuned as this will be one of the biggest stories of the week leading up to the playoff matchup with the Bills.
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