The New England Patriots restored Christian Barmore to their 53-player active roster on Saturday, making him eligible to make his debut in his fourth NFL season on Sunday.

Barmore had been on the non-football injury list since the beginning of training camp after being hospitalized for blood clots in July.

Barmore practiced for the first time with his teammates this season on Thursday, but he did not practice on Friday.

Barmore will be eligible to play for the first time in the 2024 season when the Patriots play the Los Angeles Rams at noon CST Sunday at Gillette Stadium in Foxborough, Massachusetts.

On Friday, Patriots coach Jerod Mayo said Barmore wouldn’t play until he was ready – a decision that would be left, he said, to “medical professionals.”

“Yesterday was a good day,” Mayo said. “Just to see Barmore out there was a great sight to see. The expectation is there is no expectation. When he’s ready to go, he’ll play.”

To make room for Barmore on its 53-man roster, New England released wide receiver Tyquan Thornton. A second-round selection in the 2022 NFL Draft, Thornton had four receptions for 47 yards in six games this season.

Barmore joined New England from Alabama’s 2020 undefeated CFP national-championship team in the second round of the 2021 NFL Draft. After playing in every game as a rookie, Barmore played in 10 in 2022 because of injuries.

In 2023, Barmore reached career highs with 64 tackles, 8.5 sacks, 13 tackles for loss, 16 quarterback hits, six pass breakups and one forced fumble.

During the offseason, New England signed Barmore to a four-year, $83 million contract extension.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.