<\/p>\n
Having both the resources and the need, the New England Patriots opened the checkbook to sign Milton Williams in free agency. It took a four-year, $104 million contract to convince Williams to join a Patriots defensive line unit that had underperformed in 2024.<\/p>\n
With Williams in the fold heading into 2025, however, the Patriots are hoping for some improved production out of the group. The 26-year-old will have an active hand in that happening, as will two of the teammates he is, by his own admission, excited to share the field with: Christian Barmore and Keion White.<\/p>\n
\u201cI already told [White], like, \u2018If we end up on the same side, and we\u2019re just going to go rush, it\u2019s going to get nasty,\u2019\u201d he said during a recent appearance on ex-Patriot Chris Long\u2019s Green Light<\/em> podcast. \u201cIt\u2019s going to get nasty, for sure.\u201d<\/p>\n Barmore being named a player Williams is excited to play with comes as no surprise. The fifth-year man was one of the most disruptive interior linemen in the game in 2023, before a blood clots diagnosis the following summer effectively robbed him of his 2024 campaign.<\/p>\n White, meanwhile, showed flashes as a rookie in 2023 before a surprisingly quiet 2024. However, Williams is a believer in his skills \u2014 skills that look quite familiar to him.<\/p>\n \u201cI see a lot of myself in him,\u201d he said about White. \u201cJust how he carries himself, how he goes about his business. Similar body type \u2014 6-4, 6-5, 280, 290. Fast strong, has everything in the toolbox to really line up wherever, having the versatility to play inside, outside. I pride myself on being able to do the same things.\u201d<\/p>\n Before Williams and White can develop into a disruptive pairing, though, Williams and his new teammate will need to build some chemistry. Doing so will not happen overnight, though, as he pointed out.<\/p>\n Instead, he believes that training camp and the early parts of the regular season will be used for the Patriots\u2019 defensive linemen to get a feel for one another. That feel, of course, was a key reason for Williams\u2019 success as part of the Philadelphia Eagles\u2019 defensive line.<\/p>\n A third-round draft pick in 2021, Williams spent the first four years of his career with the Eagles. Playing along one of the most talented defensive lines in the game, he was a key cog in a unit that utterly dominated the two-time defending champion Kansas City Chiefs in Super Bowl LIX earlier this year.<\/p>\n A month after winning his first championship, Williams found himself on a team that had not won a playoff game in six seasons and went a combined 8-26 the last two years. Nonetheless, he is optimistic heading into this new venture.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m definitely excited,\u201d he said. \u201cWe just started our OTA program \u2014 just getting work in, getting around the guys, getting to know them. I\u2019m already trying to pick Coach Vrabel\u2019s brain. He came in our meeting, gave us some tips and pointers. It\u2019s going to be fun.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Patriots\u2019 free agency pickup appeared on Chris Long\u2019s Green Light podcast.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":20747,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[9],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20746","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-new-england-patriots"],"yoast_head":"\n![\"Milton](\"https:\/\/i.ytimg.com\/vi\/54ISjmV3m1A\/maxresdefault.jpg\")
<\/p>\n