They are well-paid, well-seasoned and expected to anchor the New England Patriots defense.
Three weeks in to the 2026 season, the contributions from Christian Barmore and Milton Williams can only be considered, well, a bit disappointing.
You’re talking eight solo tackles and one sack – no other QB hits and no other tackles for loss – at the price tag of a combined $47 million.
Vrabel calls them out
Mike Vrabel is quick to point out that at the interior defensive line positions, tackles and sacks don’t tell the full story.
But contrast what the New England front did on defense compared to Jacksonville’s in the 35-6 Sunday loss and you can plainly see the lack of impact from the likes of Barmore and Williams.
“Yeah, we need more. Those guys know that, they understand that. We have to have more impact. Again, we want to be able to create a new line of scrimmage,” said Vrabel. “We want to be disruptive. We also have to have a responsibility to the defense to make sure that we’re where we need to be.”
The way that the Jaguars took over in the second half (12 first downs and 21 points after the break) was alarming, especially up front where the Patriots seemed to just give way.
Vrabel was not afraid to call out his big-money, big-body types on defense.
Huge week of practice ahead
“I know that those guys are going to work extremely hard, starting today, moving forward. Again, we’re not chasing plays; we’re chasing wins,” said Vrabel.
“(Associate Head Coach) Terrell (Williams) has always said since I met him in 2018, ‘You can make the play without making the tackle.’ And that means that those guys are doing their job. They’re creating a new line of scrimmage, keeping the guys behind them free, making the runner cut back, maybe before they want to. A lot of different ways to be able to affect the game without necessarily getting a statistic.”
Simply underachieving right now
Williams, who signed as a free agent from Philadelphia a year ago, was a huge piece in the defense in 2025, helping the Patriots to 14 regular-season wins and a trip to the Super Bowl.
Barmore, a second-round pick in 2021, has been an enigmatic talent throughout his New England career. He has shown brilliant flashes, dormant times and long stretches away from the team with injuries. He has played in 68 of 102 regular season games during his career.
