Pats Pulpit
Injury luck has played a big part in the New England Patriots’ success so far this season, but it wasn’t on their side last Thursday against the New York Jets. Defensive tackle Milton Williams exited the game on the first series because of what was later diagnosed as a high ankle sprain.
As a consequence of the injury, the Patriots have since sent Williams to their injured reserve. Not only does this mean that the 26-year-old will have to sit out at least the next four games, it also has a larger impact on the team and its roster.
The obvious takeaway from Williams going to IR is that he will not be available for some of the biggest games remaining on the Patriots’ schedule:
While the next two games against the Bengals and Giants are very much winnable considering both teams’ performances so far this season, the next two versus the Bills and Ravens are a different story. Sure, the Patriots have been the superior team up until this point, but facing two dynamic offenses without one of their best defenders is a definitive challenge.
If there is one positive to the scheduling, though, it is that the Patriots will be on their bye between Weeks 13 and 15. This effectively gives Williams an extra week to recover and get ready for the home stretch and a likely playoff run.
Heading into the Thursday night game against the Jets, Williams had been the Patriots’ No. 1 interior defensive lineman in terms of snaps played. Over the first 10 games of the season — all starts — he had been on the field for 65% of snaps while also registering 27 tackles as well as 3.5 sacks.
While the tackle and sack numbers do not look particularly impressive, the offseason signing has played a crucial role in the Patriots’ defensive operation: Williams has had an impact both as a run defender and as an interior pass rusher, and together with Christian Barmore formed one of the best interior duos in football.
With him now out for the foreseeable future, the Patriots will need to find somebody else to fill Williams’ former starting spot. The candidates are as follows, as a look at our up-to-date depth chart shows:
Interior defensive line (5): Christian Barmore (90), Khyiris Tonga (95 | FB), Cory Durden (94), Joshua Farmer (92), Eric Gregory (55)
Barmore, obviously, will not be going anywhere; he is as impactful a player as Williams even though his own statistics do not jump off the page either. The top candidate to join him in the starting lineup moving forward...
