The New England Patriots will head into Super Bowl LX with a new concern hanging over their defensive front.

Just as confidence grew around quarterback Drake Maye‘s availability, the team confirmed it will be without a young rotational piece on the defensive line, tightening the margin for error in the season’s biggest game.

The Patriots announced on their final injury report that rookie defensive tackle Joshua Farmer will not play in the Super Bowl after failing to recover in time from a lingering hamstring injury.

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“DT Joshua Farmer has been downgraded to out for Super Bowl LX,” the Patriots‘ official X account posted.

Farmer’s absence stems from an injury suffered late in the regular season. The fourth-round pick was placed on injured reserve in December after hurting his hamstring during the opening quarter of New England‘s Week 16 game against the Baltimore Ravens.

A promising rookie year cut short

Before the injury, Farmer had quietly established himself as part of the Patriots‘ defensive rotation. Selected in the fourth round of the 2025 NFL Draft, the 23-year-old appeared in 13 games and logged meaningful snaps along the interior.

He finished the season with 15 tackles, including seven solo stops, along with a pass breakup and a fumble recovery, contributing across roughly 224 defensive snaps.

Beyond the on-field impact, Farmer‘s absence removes a cost-controlled depth option from the rotation. He is playing under a four-year rookie contract valued at approximately $4.86 million, including a $665,816 signing bonus, with a base salary of about $840,000 this season. That type of affordable depth is difficult to replace, particularly this late in the year.

With Farmer sidelined, head coach Mike Vrabel is expected to lean more heavily on his primary interior defenders.

Christian Barmore has served as the foundation of the Patriots‘ run defense throughout the season, while Milton Williams has logged heavy snaps after arriving as a high-profile free-agent addition.