Patriots 2026 DT Preview: Who Breaks Through in Crowded Room?
Based on money alone, the New England Patriots have major expectations for their defensive linemen.
The duo of Milton Williams and Christian Barmore are two of the team's highest paid players this year, combing for $45.6 million of the Patriots' cap space. If that doesn't scream importance, I don't know what will.
New England's defensive line has been solid in years past, but has never racked up ridiculous sack numbers. Ideally, that's going to change this season -- and it starts with the top two on the depth chart. Behind them are a bunch of younger players that have room to grow as rotational players. It's a deep group, but one with plenty of inexperience.
As we head through the late spring/early summer practice portion of the year, we'll be taking a look at each of the position groups on the Patriots ahead of the 2026 training camp slate. Next up is the group of defensive tackles that's gotten plenty of praise from Mike Vrabel this spring.
Current Depth Chart:
- Milton Williams (#97) - Sixth Season, Second With Patriots
- Christian Barmore (#90) - Sixth Season, Sixth With Patriots
- Cory Durden (#94) - Fourth Season, Second With Patriots
- Leonard Taylor III (#93) - Third Season, Second With Patriots
- Joshua Farmer (#92) - Second Season, Second With Patriots
- Eric Gregory (#55) - Second Season, Second With Patriots
- Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (#98) - Fifth Season, Fifth With Patriots
- David Blay Jr. (#96) - First Season, First With Patriots
- Travis Shaw (#62) - First Season, First With Patriots
Trailing Williams and Barmore is Durden, who will most likely replace the role of Khyiris Tonga, who left to sign with the Kansas City Chiefs in free agency. The group behind those three is made up of plenty of unknowns. Taylor, Farmer and Pharms have all had bright spots during their time on the 53-man roster, while Gregory, Blay and Shaw all entered the NFL as undrafted players looking to truly make their mark. The back-half of the room is far from being decided right now.
2025 Season In Review:
The Patriots signed Williams to a massive contract in the offseason, and he provided the muscle for the group. Despite missing several games with an ankle injury, Williams was a key piece of the Patriots' run defense. Before he had gotten hurt, the team allowed 100+ rushing yards just three times. In the five games that he was sidelined, the defense was gashed for 100+ yards each week.
Barmore was on the field after a recent scare with blood clots from the season prior, but just didn't look like the same player. He did play in all 17 regular season games, a testament to his willingness to get back to full strength, but it did feel like he had lost a step. Tonga, in his lone season with the Patriots, was a key piece of the run defense as well. He played the typical nose tackle role perfectly and even added his first sack of the year in the playoffs.
The rest of the group that got significant snaps -- Durden, Taylor and Farmer -- all had their moments, despite not being as consistent as some may have hoped. Durden, who originally joined the Patriots' practice squad in August, came along as a really nice addition. Taylor, a former New York Jets practice squadder, was a weekly elevation and blocked a crucial field goal in the AFC title game in Denver.
Farmer, a drafted rookie out of Florida State, looked good before a hamstring injury ended his season in December. He started three games and recovered a fumble, but now enters his sophomore year in a positional battle.
Strengths:
At first glance, the biggest strength of this room is just the strength in numbers. There are plenty of players who shined at points last season that it makes a decision on who to cut really difficult. You know what you'll get from the top of the order, but the younger guys are unproven commodities that you have to rely on projections at this point.
That can be a good thing, especially when you're really looking for rotational players at this point. Williams and Barmore are pure people movers, players that can clog up space so the other one can wreck the center/guard and get into the backfield. Last season, it was Barmore who did plenty of the clogging so that his teammate could rack up 3.5 sacks.
The Patriots are sure to be happy about their undrafted rookies that they signed -- Blay out of Miami and Shaw out of Texas. Both of them have drastically different body types for the positon (Blay is 6-foot-2, while Shaw is 6-foot-5 and nearing 350 pounds). Considering the Patriots didn't really need to bring in guys at the position, that rookie pair could become key call-ups by the end of the season in a similar fashion to how Taylor was used in the postseason.
Mainly, this group flows through Williams. He's the main man in the interior and it's why the Patriots' group is among the NFL's best. His ability to shed blockers quickly and use a lightning quick first step puts pressure on whatever offensive lineman he's up against.
Weaknesses:
There are always the health concerns that surround Barmore since he was diagnosed with blood clots and put on blood thinners. He's been on a limited practice plan for the better part of two seasons, and hasn't returned to the same player sack-wise as he once was.
Now, that can be attributed to bringing in Williams, but you'd like to see more of a statistical output from Barmore entering his seventh season in New England. If he takes up more of the run stuffer role that doesn't rack up the tackles, so be it. But you'd hope to see some explosion into the backfield that we've been missing since the end of his 2023 season.
Injuries in this group are always something to monitor as well. Williams missed time last year with his ankle, while Farmer ended the season on IR with a hamstring. The Patriots depth is there ... if they can remain healthy.
2026 Outlook:
With the concerns at the edge rusher position right now, a lot of the Patriots' defensive pressure is going to have to come from the interior. The team just doesn't have the means to consistently get after the passer from either the inside or outside linebackers on the roster. If they want to bring down the quarterback, a lot will be put on the plates of Williams and Barmore.
The trio of Williams/Barmore/Durden should be a really good group to roll out each week, with Taylor III/Farmer/Gregory rotating in as reserves. Considering the Patriots didn't end up drafting a nose tackle during the draft and signed two lesser-known rookies in undrafted free agency, the team must feel pretty happy about how the room is shaping up right now.
This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/patriots/onsi as Patriots 2026 DT Preview: Who Breaks Through in Crowded Room?.
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This story was originally published June 25, 2026 at 6:00 AM.