FOXBORO — There’s no timeline for defensive tackle Christian Barmore’s return after being diagnosed with blood clots, but the big man will be difficult to replace in the middle of the Patriots’ defense.

One potential candidate in Patriots’ starting defense is veteran lineman Daniel Ekuale.

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“B-more’s my guy. Me and him talk almost every day. It’s an unfortunate situation,” Ekuale said Saturday. “I don’t wish that on anybody, so my prayers are with him hopefully for a speedy recovery. For somebody like him, he’s a high-motor guy. So, it’s very tough to fill in that type of role with him, especially the type of year he had last year. So we just come in and try to compete at a high level, have that standard that he had for all of us and especially the coaches too that they have for us. Of course, that’s a big role to fill with B-more, but us, we’re just coming out here, competing and doing our job.”

Trysten Hill, a Cowboys 2019 second-round pick, could find a roster spot if Barmore misses significant time. The 26-year-old had a strong showing in practice Saturday with a sack, two run-stuffs and a batted pass. The Patriots also signed veteran defensive tackle Mike Purcell this week.

Extra points

It’s not a particularly strong class of Patriots undrafted free agents, but safety Dell Pettus is putting together a solid stretch of practices. He broke up a pass and stopped wide receiver K.J. Osborn short of a touchdown on Saturday. “Really the biggest thing for him is his confidence. He’s a smart guy, and his confidence just continues to grow, making calls, telling guys where to be when he knows where to be and things like that,” Dugger said Saturday. “His confidence and communication are continuing to grow, and that’s the biggest thing I’ve seen.” … The Patriots are off Saturday but will be back at practice Monday and Tuesday before a walk-through Wednesday and their preseason opener against the Panthers at Gilltte Stadium on Thursday … Mayo is unsure how the Patriots will handle playing Maye or starters in that preseason game. “We’ll have a coordinator meeting later on.” … Mayo reiterated that starting roles will be defined after the Patriots’ second preseason game.