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.
Patriots interior defensive line depth chart
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 him out of his established comfort zone. Typically a sub pass rusher, he was forced to gap-control versus the run. He had his moments, but they were not enough to help New England overcome losing Barmore.
Jeremiah Pharms Jr.: Pharms Jr.’s 2024 season looked similar to Daniel Ekuale’s. He too was asked to do increased work on early downs, but is not necessarily suited for a role like that. More of an attacking lineman rather than a controlling one, he also found himself as an easy target for opposing offenses. While that plan did not always materialize and he had some good games, he was unable to consistently string positive plays together and do what the team wanted him to.
Jaquelin Roy: Starting the season on the practice squad, Roy made his way onto the Patriots’ active roster in October. He ended up appearing in six games, registering a pair of sacks and showing promise versus the run. However, his season was cut short by a neck injury that later forced the team to move him to injured reserve and shut him down.
Eric Johnson II: A waiver wire pickup after roster cutdowns, Johnson spent the entire season on the Patriots’ 53-man team. However, his opportunities were limited: he was on the field for 178 defensive snaps (15.9%) but saw most of his actions late in blowout losses as well as the season finale.
Marcus Harris: A seventh-round draft pick in 2024, Harris joined the Patriots practice squad after his release off the Houston Texans’. He spent the final three months of the season on the developmental team without seeing any game action.
Offseason preview
Contract statuses: Christian Barmore (signed/2028), Davon Godchaux (signed/2026), Keion White (signed/2026), Deatrich Wise Jr. (UFA), Daniel Ekuale (UFA), Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (signed/2026), Jaquelin Roy (signed/2025), Eric Johnson (signed/2025), Marcus Harris (signed/2025)
Coaching staff: Clint McMillan (defensive line)
On paper, the Patriots defensive line has some pieces in place to build around. Christian Barmore and Keion White are two of the most promising young defensive linemen in the NFL, with Davon Godchaux a solid albeit not necessarily flashy early-down presence to complement them.
However, as noted above, questions remain in regards to all three of them and the other players listed — starting with the obvious one: what will happen with Christian Barmore? There has been no word on him since he returned to the NFI list in December, with his only statement of sorts being a cryptic post on social media:
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— Christian Barmore (@chris_barmore) February 10, 2025
The bottom line is that the Patriots defense is a much better one with a healthy Barmore manning the middle as a disruptive three-down presence. If he is cleared and consistently available in 2025, the interior defensive line should be far less of a problem than it was last season, when the team struggled to properly replace his contributions.
As for White and Godchaux, their main questions are related to their roles and development under a new coaching staff. Will the former bounce back to reach the level he is capable of on a more consistent basis? Will the latter be part of the plan entering his age-31 season and return to being a more impactful role player?
In an ideal world, the Patriots will have all three ready as the foundation of the 2025 defensive line. There still would be the need to add additional pieces, either in free agency or via a draft that is particularly deep at the position, but the floor would be set and the upside obvious.
Of course, time will tell whether New England will operate in an ideal world scenario — or whether or not the team even views it as such and instead decides to disrupt the established order.