Who will complement Milton Williams and Christian Barmore for the defensive line to remain a Patriots strength?
With training camp set to start at the end of the month, we’ll provide a position-by-position breakdown of where the Patriots stand. After a look at the offensive side of the ball, we flip to the defense, and kick things off with the defensive line.
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Roll call (regular-season stats): Milton Williams (29 total tackles, 8 tackles for loss, 8 quarterback hits, 3½ sacks), Christian Barmore (29/4/11/2), Cory Durden (30/5/1/0), Joshua Farmer (15/1/0/0, ended season on injured reserve), Eric Gregory (8/0/0/0, ended season on IR), Jeremiah Pharms (3/1/1/0), Leonard Taylor (8/0/1/0), David Blay, Travis Shaw.
By the numbers:
0: The number of opposing running backs to break the 50-yard barrier against the Patriots through the first nine weeks of the 2025 season.
16: The number of starts made by Barmore last season, a career high.
.923: The winning percentage of the Patriots last season with Williams and cornerback Christian Gonzalez in the lineup (12-1 record, the loss coming in the Super Bowl, and opponents were held to an average of 14.5 points).
The skinny: Not since the days of Vince Wilfork have the Patriots had such a dominating presence along the defensive line like they have in Williams. Gap discipline, speed to power, toughness, and leadership are hallmarks of his game, and all came together to make him one of the Patriots’ most important pieces in 2025. Working with Barmore, the two formed the foundation of one of the best run defenses in the league. Provided they stay healthy, it should be more of the same this year.
“We’re just competing, every day. Competing with each other, holding each other accountable,” Williams said of his relationship with Barmore. “We always tell each other ‘This defense will go as far as we’ll take them.’ If we control the line of scrimmage, up front, it’ll help our team in a lot of ways, defensively and offensively. We’re just showing up every day, trying to be a good example for the younger guys, and keep building.”
The biggest on-field question remains whether this group can withstand the free agent loss of Khyiris Tonga, who was an excellent complementary piece up front last year. Durden stepped in when Tonga went down and played well in a limited role; he’ll likely be asked to do more in 2026.
“I think he’s going to get better,” defensive line coach Clint McMillan said of Durden this spring. “I think he’s much more confident in what we’re going to ask him to do and how we do things here. But you know, last year was last year and I think that the whole room is well aware of that. Whatever happened last year is unimportant, what matters is what we do while we’re here and everybody continuing to improve.”
Ultimately, if Williams is able to replicate his impressive 2025, it may not matter much who is alongside him for the bulk of ’26. The 6-foot-3-inch, 290-pounder proved to be one of the most impactful free agent signings in franchise history. Provided he stays healthy, his ceiling moving forward is limitless.
How does this position rate against the rest of the league? The presence of Williams alone makes this group among the best in the league. If Barmore can stay away from off-field issues that have lingered over the last year, and Durden can offer a reasonable facsimile of the oomph that Tonga had last season, this is a top-10 unit.
Quote of note: “The same motivation. We all come here to fight. We all come here to go to war together. And I feel like every day we’ve just got to keep working hard to be the best we can be, so we can do the things we did last year even better … It’s a special group of guys.” — Barmore on what the Patriots need to do to replicate their 2025 success.
Biggest story lines: Can Durden step in for Tonga on a full-time basis? Can Barmore stay focused throughout another season? Are the defensive linemen capable of moving past a Super Bowl in which they were gashed by the Seahawks’ run game?
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