When the Patriots defense took the field for the first time, starting defensive lineman Christian Barmore was noticeably absent. Instead, Joshua Farmer made his first start of the season.
Barmore eventually made his appearance on the Browns’ third offensive possession, which came with 13:03 remaining in the second quarter. Notably, he was not listed on the team’s injury report this week.
Patriots coach Mike Vrabel explained the situation after the game, revealing that Barmore was benched for a quarter due to disciplinary reasons. “I had to make a decision,” Vrabel said. “My job is to protect the team, so when there’s actions that I don’t feel like are commiserate with what we want to do here, I’ve got to make a decision, and we move on.”
Barmore declined to speak after the game, which is a violation of the NFL’s media access policy. However, it appeared that neither he nor Vrabel held any hard feelings. The Patriots’ team X account posted a video of the two sharing a hug outside the locker room following the Patriots’ 32-13 win.
On the field, Barmore made one tackle during the game.
https://www.nbcsports.com/nfl/profootballtalk/rumor-mill/news/mike-vrabel-christian-barmore-benched-for-a-quarter-to-protect-the-team
