FOXBORO – On Sunday, Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel confirmed he had chosen to defend Christian Barmore in the first quarter of the team’s 32-13 win over the Browns.
Vrabel’s comments suggested Barmore was benched for disciplinary reasons. In his first comments since then, Barmore, who declined to speak after the game, deflected Wednesday when asked what led to his apparent benching.
“Yes, I’ve moved on. Next question,” Barmore said. “Let’s focus on the Falcons.”
Barmore said he and Vrabel are on good terms, and he’s happy with the direction of the season. When asked if he could say anything about sitting on Sundays, he declined.
“It’s nothing. It’s nothing,” he said. “We’re just focused on the Falcons. Focused on the Falcons.”
When he returned to play Sunday, Barmore, 26, played his usual number of snaps over the final three quarters. He finished with one tackle and four pressures.
“I had to make a decision,” Vrabel said after the game. “My job is to protect the team, so if there are actions that I don’t think are (in line) with what we want to do here, I have to make a decision and we move on.”
Barmore prepared for practice on Wednesday and all indications are that he should be available for Sunday’s home game against Atlanta.
Before most weeks this season, Barmore was limited to at least one practice. The team has been cautious with his workload following a recurrence of blood clot-related symptoms late last year, which resurfaced four months after he was diagnosed with blood clots in July 2024.
Barmore ranks among the team leaders in total pressures this season, but traditional box score metrics hold him to four QB hits and zero sacks. He also has 13 tackles.
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