Christian Barmore playing with ‘fire in my heart’ after being cleared to play following blood clot scare
"I can say that because I feel like after that situation, people are forgetting who I am. So, I'm really bringing a lot of competitive [spirit] with me."
FOXBOROUGH – Christian Barmore has entered minicamp with a new perspective after a blood clot diagnosis limited him to four games last season.
The 25-year-old defensive lineman was coming off of a career-year at the time. He had a career-high 8.5 sacks, along with 16 QB hits and 13 tackles for loss. He had signed a massive 4-year contract worth up to $92 million.
The blood clot situation was unlike anything he had faced in his young career. He missed 13 games last season, which was almost double the seven games he had missed over his first three seasons.
Even though he returned for the last four games, sitting out from July to November sparked a new desire within the 2021 second-round pick.
He had shown flashes of the kind of player he can be. Now, he wants to show that his health scare will not prevent him from being the force on New England’s defensive line that he once was.
He had the seventh-highest pass-rush grade in the league among interior defenders in 2023, according to Pro Football Focus. He was also a key cog in the Patriots’ run defense, which was fourth in the league in rushing yards allowed per game (93.2).
“There’s really just a lot of fire in my heart,” Barmore said after practice on Monday. “I can say that because I feel like after that situation, people are forgetting who I am. So, I’m really bringing a lot of competitive [spirit] with me. Every day when I’m on this field, it’s just to prove that I’m still me and I’m always going to be me. ”
Coach Mike Vrabel has seen that fire during the team’s minicamp and organized team activity [OTA] sessions.
“What I’ve seen is a player that is excited and that is coachable,” Vrabel said. “Extremely coachable. He has some versatility. He’s rushed inside. He’s lined up outside. He’s worked extremely hard.”
“You’ve seen him chase and play with great effort down the field. I’m excited to see where he’s at, but I’ve seen a lot of just improvement and a lot of engagement from him since the time that we’ve been here.”
Barmore mentioned that he had trouble breathing last year. Now that those issues have been resolved, he said, he’s back to having fun with his teammates and talking smack.
He has been medically cleared to play and hopes his health scare is behind him.
“I would never want anybody to go through that. That stuff, imagine someone stopping you from breathing, like literally. Now, I can breathe again,” Barmore said, patting his chest. “Those lungs have opened up. So now, it’s like what’s up. I’m good to go. Green light.”
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