Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots’ interior defensive line heading into the offseason.
The New England Patriots defense disappointed in 2024, with the interior line in particular failing to live up to expectations. Despite retaining most of its talent from the previous season, the group took a step back under new defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington and new coach Jerry Montgomery.
Heading into 2025, and with a brand-new coaching staff in place, the hope is that it will return to form again. There are some pieces in place to make that happen, even though there are plenty of questions as well.
Christian Barmore: Barmore became eligible for a contract extension during the 2024 offseason, and the Patriots wasted little time to lock him up. However, just three months after he received a four-year, $84 million deal, Barmore was diagnosed with blood clots. He missed virtually all of training as well as the first 10 games of the season as a consequence, but was activated again in mid-November. He appeared in four games, registering a sack and five tackles, before being moved back to the non-football injury list because of “recurring symptoms” related to his initial diagnosis.
Davon Godchaux: After some unhappiness about his contract situation, Godchaux and the Patriots reached agreement on a two-year, $18 million deal last offseason. He ended up being the team’s most dependable defensive lineman, starting all 17 games and playing 679 defensive snaps (60.7%). Godchaux registered 67 tackles, but also was an easier target for teams prioritizing him: with no Christian Barmore alongside him, he was oftentimes neutralized by double-teams with nobody else to take advantage of the attention he drew.
Keion White: Coming off an encouraging rookie season, White started his sophomore campaign hot. Lining up both inside and on the edge, the former second-round draft pick registered four sacks and a forced fumble in his first two games. Then, the drop-off happened: over the final 15 games of the season, White notched only one quarterback takedown and one fumble. He pointed the finger at himself, but toward the end of the year also mentioned the need for being coached harder.
Deatrich Wise Jr.: One of the Patriots’ longest-tenured player and a multi-year team captain, Wise Jr. had a disappointing 2024 campaign. Besides missing two games with a foot injury, he also saw his per-game average playing time dip below 50 percent for the first time since 2019. He still finished the season tying Keion White for the team-lead with 5.0 sacks, but his overall impact on the field was far less pronounced than it had been in previous seasons — all while he made uncharacteristic errors for a player of his experience.
Daniel Ekuale: Christian Barmore missing most of the year forced the Patriots to adapt, and they did so by giving Daniel Ekuale increased opportunities on early downs. While this resulted in the highest snap count total of his career — 722 defensive snaps (64.6%) — it also forced...
