Under this new regime, the Patriots told us they wanted to be an attacking front, a decidedly different approach from the Belichick era, where two-gapping was all the rage. It's fair to say Mike Vrabel didn’t lie to us, especially when it came to the interior defensive line. That’s not to say that group was just allowed to pin their ears back without a concern for gap integrity, but the Pats weren’t afraid to let the big dogs eat and got more than expected from some of their depth pieces. But there is potential for more than just minor changes here.
UNDER CONTRACT: Milton Williams, Christian Barmore, Cory Durden, Joshua Farmer, Isaiah Iton, Eric Gregory, Leonard Taylor, Jeremiah Pharms
FREE AGENT: Khyiris Tonga
The Pats made big investments in Williams and Barmore, but only one of those deals was done with the approval of Vrabel and company. That was Williams, and he was worth every dang penny in year one, finishing 9th in pressure rate amongst all interior defensive linemen. That first step get-off was better than advertised, and Williams uses his hands well. There is a relentless nature to his game that plays well for this, or any other coaching staff.
“When you have interior disruptors,” Zak Kuhrtold me before the Super Bowl, “that changes the game.”
Williams was also equally adept against the run and proved to be a terrific leader who stood there in good times and bad, not that there were very many of those.
That’s a contrast from what Barmore brought to the table, where he was erratic off the field and inconsistent on it. His production came in waves, and when he was good, Barmore was very good (6th in pressure rate). But there is so much more to the story than that.
Barmore is facing a serious legal issue, one which the Pats didn’t exactly bend over backward to support him over (as opposed to Stefon Diggs). He also had to be physically managed - not just with the blood clots that cost him the majority of the previous season, but also his knee. With an out on his contract this offseason, this is the time to move on. However, a sampling of his value over the past week yielded underwhelming results. Think a late-day three pick. Maybe that changes post-free agency if a team gets blanked, but more likely than not, this is what it is. So do you try to make it work again, knowing it could blow up? Or just say enough and turn the page? I’m guessing we’ll get an answer soon.
I’m not sure Tonga would influence the Barmore decision, but he’s got a lot of fans around the league based on what he showed this past season. Thoughts of a low-cost return are seemingly out the window as Tonga showed that not only is he difficult to move in the run game, but he’s got more pass-rush juice than previously displayed. The two sides met in Indianapolis, but the gap is even wider than it was when they engaged in extension talks late in the year. Feels like the chances of retention are slim unless Barmore is shipped elsewhere and they allocate some of his money to Tonga.
Durden certainly came out of nowhere to be a major contributor. He started at times and did a nice job eating snaps when both Williams and Tonga were missing time late in the season. For someone who makes just over a million dollars, getting nearly 30 QB pressures from the 2023 UDFA now on his third team was a real find. Plus, go back and watch what he did to the Chargers' interior OL in that playoff game. Durden was cooking with gas that night. Maybe I’m in the minority, but I think there’s even more in there.
A 2025 4th-rounder, Farmer was more in the mix early in the season, popping on tape at least a couple of times per game in limited snaps. Then he dealt with an ankle injury and never quite made his way back into the rotation, ceding snaps to Durden and then Taylor. Farmer is very strong at the point of attack, and there’s reason to believe he can take a step forward next season, assuming he puts in the work. Having Tonga back would be beneficial to Farmer. The two formed a close relationship.
Taylor had his big playoff moment, blocking a field goal in the 3-point win at Denver. He’s an intriguing guy who entered college as one of the top recruits at the position, but never lived up to that hype, leaving the University of Miami after a subpar junior season. Taylor didn’t get drafted, then got cut by the freaking Jets. Ouch, babe, and I mean that. The Pats did a good job getting him to play with better fundamentals, and maybe they found themselves a rotational piece on the cheap.
At his best, Gregory can hold his ground at the point of attack. Beyond that, he’s either unrefined as a pass rusher or just doesn’t have that in his bag.
Pharms is what he is at this point, while Iton got hurt this summer and was lost for the year. He had flashed some in August, and I could sense Bedard developing feelings for him for other reasons (cough, Rutgers, cough).
FREE AGENTS
Can’t see the Pats spending at the top of the market for this position, given their current commitments. Then again, it’s not really that kind of class (John Franklin-Myers is probably the only player who gets more than $10 million a year)
1. Roy Lopez (29 years old, Detroit) - If you want this year’s version of Tonga, I present to you Lopez. He’s been a pain in the ass for opposing offenses for multiple years, and was so good this past year, he kept higher-priced players off the field in Detroit. If you want to stop the run, Lopez is that dude you plunk on the nose and don’t have to worry about. I don’t know what he squats or leg presses, but my guess is every weight in the gym. He’s that strong. But there’s also some pass-rush upside. Lopez might be my 2nd favorite free agent this year (Behind Tyler Linderbaum, who is going north of $20 mil per season). Sorry, not sorry. I like what I like. PFF projects one year at $2.5 million. I call bullcrap. It wouldn’t surprise me if he and Tonga end up in a similar financial bracket ($12 to $15 million over two seasons).
2. Logan Hall (25 years old, TB) - This coaching staff showed they can coach up projects and get more out of a player than in previous stops. Hall would be on the high end of the group. Hall’s long (6’6”), quick but ultimately inconsistent, teasing with high-end athleticism but weighed down by inconsistent technique, and has a penchant for playing too upright. When you’re 280-ish pounds, that just won’t work. PFF estimated 3 years for $25 million. That number would surprise me. Hall feels like a one-year, show-me-what-you-got contract.
3. Denico Autry(36 years old, Houston) - Look, he’s not the same disruptive force he was when he enjoyed his best days under Vrabel in Tennessee, but if the Pats want a pass-rush specialist on the interior, Autry could very well be that guy. The Texans didn’t even bother to ask him to defend the run. They said, "See the QB over there?" Go get him. That type of skill set should warrant somewhere between $4.5 and $8 million.
4. Da’Shawn Hand(30 years old, LA Chargers) - A stout run defender, he can hold his own against double teams. But if you’re hoping for something as a pass rusher, it’s not likely. Hand is mostly a pocket pusher and someone who could be effective in two-man games as the picker, if you will. But he’s not closing on QBs. His salary projections are all over the joint: PFF has him at a paltry $2.5 million for one season. I think they smoked some funny stuff. Feels like a $5 million-a-year player.
Others of note: Sheldon Rankins (31 years old, Houston), DaQuan Jones (34 years old, Buffalo), David Onyemata (33 years old, Atlanta), Levi Onwuzurike(28 years old, Detroit, coming off a torn ACL, good player)
