FOXBOROUGH – There’s a reason why the Patriots gave Milton Williams the largest contract in franchise history.
A game-wrecking defensive tackle, Williams has played like a Pro Bowler through the first half of the 2025 NFL season. He entered last week’s game against the New York Jets third on the Patriots in sacks (3.5) and quarterback hits (8), as well as tied for second in tackles for loss (7).
Williams’ dominance doesn’t always show up in the stat sheet. His ability to occupy multiple offensive linemen has made life easier for the Patriots’ edge rushers, and his direct play has led to sacks for teammates like Harold Landry and K’Lavon Chaisson.
That’s why Williams’ absence is a big deal for the Patriots.
On Saturday, the team placed the 26-year-old on the injured reserve due to a high ankle sprain. Williams will miss at least the team’s next four games, and that includes the Patriots’ toughest stretch with back-to-back games against Buffalo and Baltimore. The earliest Williams could return is Week 17 against the Jets.
“We won’t have Milt for the foreseeable future,” Mike Vrabel said on Monday. “He’ll work hard to get back, so that’s really where our focus is. It’s not so much as a reflection as it is just focusing on how do we get the guys ready to perform and continue to improve. The thing we’re trying to get everybody to understand is how much this is a progress league to be able to improve as the season goes on. And so we’ll have to do that without Mill, who’s one of our contributors and a big part of what we’ve done. But we’ll have to do it without him here for a few weeks.”
This season, Williams has been arguably one of the Patriots best players. That’s why the team made him their No. 1 priority in free agency and signed him to a 4-year, $104 million contract. With an average annual value of $26 million, Williams became the highest-paid player in Patriots team history.
This season, Pro Football Focus has credited Williams with 26 quarterback pressures. That ties him for the third most among interior defensive linemen and ties him 13th overall in the NFL among all defensive players.
Now, the Patriots need to play without him against the Cincinnati Bengals, New York Giants, Buffalo Bills, and Baltimore Ravens.
The absence puts more pressure on the Patriots defensive tackles, notably Christian Barmore.
Williams and Barmore have been the best defensive tackle pairing in the NFL this season. Although Barmore has one sack, he’s also been a menace for opposing offensive lines. The veteran has 28 hurries this season, which ties for the most among interior defensive linemen and ties him for ninth in the NFL among all players.
Williams and Barmore have been able to help each other this season. Without Williams, the Patriots could rely more on nose tackle Khyiris Tonga. The veteran has had a nice season, but is considered more of a run stuffer with no sacks and two quarterback hits this season.
The injury also puts more pressure on the Patriots backup defensive linemen, all of whom are searching for their first sack in the NFL: Joshua Farmer (11 tackles), Cory Durden (12 tackles), and Eric Gregory (1 tackle).
“Eric Gregory played in the game for the first time. I thought he battled and is continuing to improve on the show team stuff and practice,” Vrabel said. “We’ll hopefully get Josh (Farmer) back. And I would say that (Jeremiah) Farms is doing a great job as well on the show team and is ready to go in there at any point. So I think we’re okay there as far as the depth and just have to keep working, keep moving on.”
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