FOXBORO — The success of the Patriots’ overhauled defense will be determined in the trenches. That’s how Milton Williams sees it.

Williams, New England’s top offseason free agent signing, said Wednesday that it will be up to himself and fellow defensive tackle Christian Barmore to set the tone for the Patriots’ D, which ranked near the bottom of the NFL in most categories last season.

“(My excitement level is) on 100, just getting the opportunity to come for this organization, them believing in me and trusting me to come out here and lead these guys with Christian,” Williams said after the team’s first training camp practice. “It’s on us to make sure the defense goes. Like I told him — we were talking to each other — it’s going to go as we go. Every day, we’ve got to come out here and we’ve got to set the tone, and everybody else can follow.”

Williams and Barmore both have star potential, but both enter the season with question marks.

Williams was a very good player for the Philadelphia Eagles and dominated the Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX, but he’s never played more than 48% of snaps in a season since entering the NFL in 2021. The 26-year-old will need to prove he can handle a more extensive role — particularly against the run — after signing the richest contract in Patriots history (four years, $104 million).

Barmore, meanwhile, dealt with a blood clot condition that limited him to four games last season. The 2021 second-round pick enjoyed a career year in 2023 (8 1/2 sacks, 16 quarterback hits, 13 tackles for loss) and said last month that he’s back to full health.

“It’s really just a lot of fire in my heart, I could say that, because I feel like after that situation, people forget who I am,” Barmore said during spring practice. “So I’m really bringing a lot of competitive (energy) with me. … (I want) just to prove that I’m still me, and I’m always going to be me.”

New England is hoping Williams and a healthy Barmore can help revive a D-line that was mediocre against the run and boasted arguably the NFL’s worst pass rush last season. The 2024 Patriots ranked last in the league in sack rate and total sacks and 30th in pass rush win rate.

Originally Published: July 24, 2025 at 10:15 AM EDT