Patriots’ Jerod Mayo Provides Surprising Timeline For Christian Barmore

The Patriots aren’t putting any pressure on Christian Barmore, but they also aren’t being overly cautious.

Barmore will play when he’s ready, which could happen as early as Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams.

“I think he feels good today, but at the same time, we’ll leave the final decision up to the medical professionals,” Patriots head coach Jerod Mayo said on Friday, per team-provided video. “… There’s a chance. We have a meeting with the doctors after practice. There’s a chance. No, no, seriously, there’s a chance.”

Guys, there’s a chance.

“Just to see Barmore out there — it’s a great sight to see,” Mayo said. “The expectation is that there is no expectation. When he’s ready to go, he will play. I know he’s excited, and he’s been waiting to get back out on that field for a long time now.”

Barmore officially returned to practice on Thursday, marking his first team session since being placed on the non-football illness list after it was discovered he had blood clots during the early portion of training camp. Mayo tried to temper expectations after giving the 25-year-old a “chance” to return, too, mentioning how he hasn’t really put on pads since January.

Barmore also wasn’t spotted during the media-access portion of Friday’s practice, so the likelihood of a return coming this week looks slim.