When teams invest heavily in free agency, it's often challenging for the player signed to live up to a lucrative contract with his new team.
The now highly-paid player is changing cities, changing schemes and often leaving places where other talented players helped make the team successful. As a result, building a roster through free agency can be hit or miss, which is why teams prioritize drafting and developing their own talent.
Although the Patriots also want to draft-and-develop, it appears New England hit a home run by signing DT Milton Williams last March. The Pats made a splash on the first day of free agency by out-bidding other teams, such as the Carolina Panthers, for Williams's services. The 26-year-old was coming off a breakout season where he helped the Philadelphia Eagles win a Super Bowl. Due to Philly's depth on the defensive line, Williams was the rare blue-chip talent to hit the open market, so the Patriots pounced.
By landing the game-wrecker in free agency, the Patriots paired Williams with stud DT Christian Barmore, who signed a four-year contract extension with the club last offseason. Barmore and Williams are already forming one of the league's best interior duos, with the Pats DTs ranking in the top six in pressure rate through the first four weeks of the season.
According to NextGen Stats, Barmore leads all defensive tackles with a 16.1% pressure rate, while Williams is fifth in pressure percentage (13.5%). The duo also ranks in the top-11 among interior rushers in ESPN's pass-rush win rate, with Barmore ranking second behind only Titans DT Jeffrey Simmons in that metric at a 19.2% win rate. As a defense, the Patriots rank in the top-10 in both pass-rush (10th) and run-stop (fifth) win rate, with Barmore and Williams becoming one of the NFL's most disruptive tandems to anchor the Patriots defensive line.
"It's been good. We've been talking since I got here about teams ain't gonna be able to just key in on one of us," Williams told [Patriots.com](http://patriots.com/). "You key in on one of us, and leave the other one-on-one, we like our chances. We invite that matchup, no matter who we are going against every week. They slide to me. You single? Win. They slide to him. I'm single? Win. That's the only message week in and week out. Trying to affect the game that way."
"Man, that's my dog. We always say you have to choose one. I love rushing with him," Barmore said of Williams.
As Williams said, teams have to pick their poison with the Patriots DT duo. In pass protection, the offensive line usually has a three-man slide side and a man-to-man side against a standard four-man rush. That leaves three blockers to two rushers on one side, while the other is one-on-one against the two pass-rushers.
During the opening two weeks, Barmore was double-teamed on 54.4% of his rushes, the sixth-highest double-team rate among defensive tackles. Since Week 3, more of the double teams are going to Williams, with his double-team rate increasing to 50 percent (13th among DTs). With the Panthers double-teaming Williams 10 times last week, Barmore logged a season-high five total pressures with two quarterback hits on Carolina QB Bryce Young.
"Y'all gonna leave Christian Barmore one-on-one, I like those chances, and we came out with a win," Williams said. "Like I said, they have to pick. They gonna double him, leave me one-on-one, I really like those chances. It's really just pick how you want to do it.