Christian Barmore update is less promising than his injury status indicates

Christian Barmore is designated to return from the non-football injury list - but that doesn't mean he will return.

The New England Patriots moved Barmore to NFI prior to the start of the 2024 season, with a designation to return. It was a promising sign for Barmore, who has been out since late July after suffering from blood clots. But it doesn't necessarily mean that the Pats' cornerstone defensive tackle is going to return any time soon in 2024, if at all.

As part of a series of news updates across the league, ESPN's Jeremy Fowler added a bit of context to Barmore's injury situation. Blood clots are often a season-ending issue, as it was for Patriots center David Andrews in the 2019 season, and it could still be so for Barmore.

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From Fowler:

"The Patriots are bracing for the possibility that defensive tackle Christian Barmore, who's on Reserve/Non-Football Injury list while being treated for blood clots, won't play this season. New England doesn't want to rush his recovery by any stretch. If he makes it back, great. But the team won't push it. He's a long-term asset."

Essentially, the Patriots are holding out hope for a late-season return while they can. But Barmore, who recently signed a four-year extension worth up to $84 million, seems more likely to spend the entire season on the shelf, based on this update.

Barmore's extension doesn't kick in until the 2025 season, so he'll be under contract for four more years after 2024. The Patriots are paying Barmore's entire salary for the upcoming season, according to Ian Rapoport.

With Barmore out, the Patriots will rely on a mix of Davon Godchaux, Daniel Ekuale, and Jeremiah Pharms Jr. at defensive tackle. Second-year defensive lineman Keion White has also lined up on the interior at times, especially when flanked by an edge-setting linebacker like Anfernee Jennings.

"We're good as a unit," said defensive coordinator DeMarcus Covington on Thursday. "We're not an individual-based defense, or individual like, 'We're going to win because of this one person.' We're going to win because we play well as a team and we play good team defense, when we play with fundamentals, when we play aggressive, that's why we win - that's why were going to win."

There could be a lot riding on the performance of the defense, which still has a lot of returning pieces and proven chemistry, as the newly-rebuilt offense finds its way. It'll just be a lot more challenging to excel without one of its top individual performers in Barmore.

Matt Dolloff is a writer and digital content producer for 98.5 The Sports Hub. Read all of his articles here.