When asked how his Alabama teammate Mac Jones has done this season, Christian Barmore says he and the rest of the rookies have come a long way through the first eight weeks
Christian Barmore and Mac Jones have now been teammates in both college at Alabama and in the NFL for the New England Patriots.
Given the shared history between the two, Barmore, a rookie defensive tackle for the Patriots, was asked Friday about the improvement Jones has made over the course of his pro debut.
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The 6-foot-4, 310-pound Barmore said that it's not just Jones who's been showing signs of improvement for the team, but all of the rookies in Foxboro.
"Mac's doing his thing... we're all doing good, all the rookies," Barmore said. "We just have to stay consistent."
Barmore and Jones stand out above the rest of the class, however, as they're the only two to appear in all eight games the Patriots have played thus far; Rhamondre Stevenson, who's appeared in four games, is the only other rookie who's offered any meaningful contributions to date.
Jones is among the front-runners for Offensive Rookie of the Year, an award not won by a Patriots player since Curtis Martin in 1995.
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Barmore is a bit more of a longshot for Defensive Rookie of the Year -- he's currently available at +10000 -- but he's performing in a way perhaps no interior defensive lineman has as a rookie for New England since Vince Wilfork in 2004. Barmore has 20 combined tackles, five quarterback hits and half a sack to date in his career.
"We've all got something to work on," Barmore said. "We ain't perfect, but we keep getting better every day."