Patriots
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Matthew Judon leaves the team after a conversation with Jerod Mayo and other insights from the fifth day of Patriots camp
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Patriots rookie Javon Baker is in comparison with George Pickens by experienced wide receiver
After practice on Sunday, the Patriots released an announcement explaining that Christian Barmore had been diagnosed with blood clots and was treated at Mass General Brigham over the weekend.
On Monday, coach Jerod Mayo opened his press conference by thanking those that had treated Barmore during his stay and training.
“It's unfortunate, of course,” said Mayo. “But for me it's not even about football. When you talk about these things, it's about the man. He's being looked after extremely well and I look forward to his return.”
Barmore has been released from the hospital and is in good spirits, Mayo said, but there isn’t any timetable yet for his return.
“I think all of these situations are different, and I'm not a specialist in this field,” Mayo said. “So I don't want to give a diagnosis or a timeline for when he'll return. When he's ready to go, we'll wait for him here.”
Defensive lineman Armon Watts said Barmore's diagnosis was shocking.
“It was tough to lose a guy like that out of the blue,” Watts said. “Like I said, we're all praying for him and I think it's always about the next guy's turn mentality, so whoever gets that chance has to make the most of it.”
David Andrews missed the 2019 season on account of blood clots. Mayo said he remembers the incident, adding that almost all of the staff who had handled Andrews' situation are still there.
“I have complete faith in these guys that they're going to help (Barmore),” Mayo said. “I'm sure at some point you have to remember that this just happened, not that long ago. He's still trying to process what's happening and his treatment plan.”
Barmore is coming off a successful yr, which saw him sign a lucrative contract extension, and coping together with his absence is not going to be easy.
“It's no secret, he was one of our best players defensively last year,” Mayo said. “Still, we have a lot of guys. I don't think one person can embody all the different things that Barmore did for us. But we have guys who are hungry. We have guys who can break the offensive line. I'm not too worried about that. It comes down to the next guy.”
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