Where is the Beef on Defense? If Patriots Hope to Slow Down Bills, Barmore and Williams Must Pick it up

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Where is the Beef on Defense? If Patriots Hope to Slow Down Bills, Barmore and Williams Must Pick it up

Hector Longo · Athlon Sports

Wed, Sep 30, 2026 ·

2 min read

Vrabel calls them out

Mike Vrabel is quick to point out that at the interior defensive line positions, tackles and sacks don't tell the full story.

But contrast what the New England front did on defense compared to Jacksonville 's in the 35-6 Sunday loss and you can plainly see the lack of impact from the likes of Barmore and Williams.

Jul 28, 2026; Foxborough, MA, USA; New England Patriots defensive end Milton Williams (97) walks to practice for training camp at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Eric Canha-Imagn Images

"Yeah, we need more. Those guys know that, they understand that. We have to have more impact. Again, we want to be able to create a new line of scrimmage," said Vrabel. "We want to be disruptive. We also have to have a responsibility to the defense to make sure that we're where we need to be."

The way that the Jaguars took over in the second half (12 first downs and 21 points after the break) was alarming, especially up front where the Patriots seemed to just give way.

Vrabel was not afraid to call out his big-money, big-body types on defense.

Huge week of practice ahead

"I know that those guys are going to work extremely hard, starting today, moving forward. Again, we're not chasing plays; we're chasing wins," said Vrabel.

"(Associate Head Coach) Terrell (Williams) has always said since I met him in 2018, 'You can make the play without making the tackle.' And that means that those guys are doing their job. They're creating a new line of scrimmage, keeping the guys behind them free, making the runner cut back, maybe before they want to. A lot of different ways to be able to affect the game without necessarily getting a statistic."

Simply underachieving right now

Williams, who signed as a free agent from Philadelphia a year ago, was a huge piece in the defense in 2025, helping the Patriots to 14 regular-season wins and a trip to the Super Bowl.

Barmore, a second-round pick in 2021, has been an enigmatic talent throughout his New England career. He has shown brilliant flashes, dormant times and long stretches away from the team with injuries. He has played in 68 of 102 regular season games during his career.

This story was originally published by Athlon Sports on Sep 30, 2026, where it first appeared in the NFL section. Add Athlon Sports as a Preferred Source by clicking here.