The Patriots are placing standout DT Christian Barmore back on the reserve/NFI list

The New England Patriots announced Thursday that they have placed Christian Barmore back on the reserve/non-football injured list. The standout defensive tackle has been experiencing recurring symptoms related to blood clots that he struggled with earlier this year and require further evaluation.

“We appreciate everything Christian has done to return to the team this season, but our top priority is Christian’s health and well-being,” the Patriots said in a statement. “We know he will continue to receive excellent care and we want to ensure he gets the time he needs to come back stronger than ever.”

Barmore missed the first 10 games of the season due to blood clots. He was coming off his best year in the NFL. He totaled 8.5 sacks, 64 tackles and 16 quarterback hits. His sacks and 13 tackles for loss were career highs.

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In the offseason, Barmore was rewarded with a four-year extension worth up to $92 million and $41.8 million in guaranteed money. The deal made him the highest-paid defensive player in team history.

It was unclear whether Barmore would even play this season after doctors found life-threatening blood clots in his lungs early in training camp.

“Blood clots are no joke because I had really bad shortness of breath. It really messed me up,” Barmore said. “I told myself I wouldn’t lose this fight. I told myself, I’m going to keep fighting, keep going.”

In four games this season, Barmore had one sack and six solo tackles.