FOXBORO — The Patriots had a welcome visitor at Tuesday’s joint practice: defensive tackle Christian Barmore.
Barmore watched part of New England’s session with the Philadelphia Eagles from the sideline in a hoodie and shorts. It was the 25-year-old’s first appearance at practice since he was diagnosed with blood clots last month — and the first time many of his teammates had seen him.
“(It was) great, man. Great,” fellow D-tackle Davon Godchaux said after practice. “He’s in great spirits. Seeing my teammate, my brother, it’s great seeing him out there, but the most important thing is he’s in great spirits. I know it’s tough (for him). I tore my ACL senior year of high school and I was out for the rest of the season.
“I’m not saying he’s out for the rest of the season, but I know the feeling of being out. It can be dark days, so just seeing him smile … I told him, ‘Come around more, man. We miss you.’ So it was just great seeing him at practice.”
It’s unclear at this point whether Barmore will be sidelined for the entire season, as center David Andrews was when doctors found blood clots in his lungs in the summer of 2019. The team has only said that he is out indefinitely.
“It’s good to see him here in good spirits,” safety Jabrill Peppers said. “We’re praying for a healthy recovery. It’s always health above anything else, so I’m happy they caught it when they did. Hopefully, he gets cured and we get him back out here as soon as possible.”
Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo provided an update on Matthew Judon as the outside linebacker pursues a new contract and has been involved in trade rumors. “Judon has done a great job in the meeting room and done everything that we’ve asked. He’s meeting all the expectations.” … Tight end Hunter Henry’s injury (undisclosed) is not expected to keep him out long, per Mayo … Mayo interviewed for the Eagles’ head coaching job when Nick Sirianni was hired. He reflected on that meeting before Tuesday’s practice. “First, I would say all of those guys were on the same page. Obviously, it starts with the GM [general manager] and ownership. Those guys were on the same page. I wanted to have that same relationship, whether it was here or somewhere else. I wanted to have that same relationship with the GM and also ownership, which I feel very confident that Eliot [Wolf] and ownership, as well as myself, we’re on the same page. It was a great experience. It was a great experience for me to go out there and learn.”