The line of scrimmage is where a team can take control of a football game, and that’s the philosophy the New England Patriots’ defensive tackles followed dominantly during head coach Mike Vrabel’s first season in 2025.
That group will look similar heading into training camp, but can they improve with one less established body in the room?
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In the next edition of our Patriots training camp preview series, we’ll take a look at New England’s defensive line corps in its entirety and discuss the biggest takeaways heading into the summer practices. Veterans will report to the facility on July 24.
*Denotes player on the Pats Pulpit 53-man roster projection
Depth chart
Starters: Milton Williams (27)*, Christian Barmore (26)*, Cory Durden (27)* | Backups: Leonard Taylor III (24)*, Joshua Farmer (23)*, Eric Gregory (25)*, Jeremiah Pharms Jr. (29), David Blay Jr. (23/R), Travis Shaw (21/R)
Veterans Milton Williams and Christian Barmore proved to be one of the most disruptive interior duos in the NFL last season. The pair will once again set the tone for the defensive front in 2026.
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Behind them, however, are several defensive linemen who will need to take on larger roles.
Cory Durden was the fourth tackle on the depth chart in 2025, but now slots in as the third fixture in the rotation with Khyiris Tonga heading to Kansas City. He cycled between the Los Angeles Rams and New York Giants practice squads throughout the first two years of his career. Though he has since found a home with the Patriots.
Rounding out the projected depth chart is 2025 fourth-round pick Joshua Farmer, who served as reliable depth until a Week 16 hamstring injury ended his rookie season early; Leonard Taylor III, a mid-season practice squad pickup who blocked a crucial field goal attempt in the AFC Championship; and Eric Gregory, who appeared in six games after spending most of the year on the practice squad.
Jeremiah Pharms Jr. falls into that group as well. The 29-year-old was a regular contributor in 2024, playing in 16 games, but saw his role diminish to just three contests the following season.
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Finally, David Blay Jr. (Louisiana Tech) and Travis Shaw (Texas) are both undrafted rookie free agents looking to carve out roles during summer camp. Blay, 6-foot-2 and 292 pounds, specializes as a high-motor pass rusher, while Shaw, at 6-foot-5, 334 pounds, sures up the center of the formation as a nose tackle.
Key question: Can Khyiris Tonga be replaced?
In 2025, Tonga was a remarkably productive nose tackle at the forefront of one of the NFL’s best run defenses. In fact, he was so successful at moving opposing linemen that New England’s offensive coordinator, Josh McDaniels, occasionally used Tonga as a fullback.
Nonetheless, the Chiefs outbid the Patriots for the veteran, leaving a hole at the center of the defensive line formation. But the team didn’t make any notable changes to the interior group after the fact, showing comfort with previous depth pieces.
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“I think he proved that,” New England’s head coach Mike Vrabel said earlier this offseason of Durden stepping up. “Leonard Taylor [III] worked with us. Eric Gregory worked with us … Joshua Farmer is back healthy. But Cory, I think, probably coming out of last year, would be that on paper. Again, there’ll be competition in training camp. But I think that’s a good group.”
Durden’s emergence last season positioned him for a larger role in 2026, as the fourth-year tackle posted an 81.4 pass-rush grade on Pro Football Focus (PFF) with 16 quarterback hurries.
As things stand right now, the Patriots are entrusting the same backup rotation (Farmer, Taylor and Gregory) to provide reliable support.
A great evaluation point for that room will be when padded practices begin during training camp and during joint practices with the Indianapolis Colts (Aug. 11) and Philadelphia Eagles (Aug. 19 and 20).
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X-Factor: Christian Barmore
In front of that collective, however, Barmore is the key to how high the defensive line’s pass-rush ceiling can be.
In 2025, New England ranked first in the league in pass-rush win rate (21.1%) and pressure rate (15.7%) from players lined up between the offensive tackles, according to PFF.
PFF also cited Barmore with a career-high 58 quarterback pressures, yet the veteran only recorded three sacks. If he can improve his finishing on those plays and return to his 2023 production (8 sacks) before his blood clot diagnosis in 2024, the unit’s upside becomes even greater.
Barmore’s play could also aid a defensive edge room that may need pass-rushing help next season. Dre’Mont Jones is a productive addition, but second-round rookie Gabe Jacas and a recovering Harold Landry have yet to practice with the team this offseason.
It’s asking a lot of an already impactful defensive line, but more interior disruption could help create more opportunities for a group currently led by Jones and second-year UDFA Elijah Ponder.
