New England Patriots defensive end Derek Rivers hasn’t secured himself a roster spot, but he went a long way in catching his coaches’ attention during the first preseason game of the 2019 season. Rivers was influential in helping the Patriots beat the Detroit Lions, 31-3.
The Patriots logged nine sacks, with Rivers’ game-high of two. He also had three tackles. Those contributions came after a mental mistake — the 2017 third-round draft choice ran past quarterback Tom Savage on a passing play during a third down. That’s a huge no-no for Bill Belichick. Rushers should never get past the quarterback. Instead of repeating his mistake — or crumbling under pressure — he brought the pressure.
It’s a crucial and challenging time for Rivers. The Patriots have moved him to linebacker in their 3-4 defense, which may not be a huge advantage for the youngster. That position might just be New England’s deepest group, with Dont’a Hightower, Kyle Van Noy, Jamie Collins, Ja’Whaun Bentley, Elandon Roberts, Shilique Calhoun and more. Rivers has been strong during training camp, but seems to face an uphill battle if he wants to salvage his standing with the Patriots.
Since the team selected him, he has yet to contribute in a meaningful way. His rookie season was a wash, as he suffered an ACL injury during camp and missed the whole year. Last year, he seemed to be getting acclimated to NFL speed, which made some sense considering Rivers played at a low level of competition in college at Youngstown State. He probably needed a year to play catch-up. But he got his medical redshirt year and then he got another year to play in and learn the defense. It’s time for him to show development. That’s what he flashed on Thursday night.
Admittedly, he wasn’t going against a particularly impressive group of offensive linemen — they couldn’t handle any of the Patriots’ rushers. So it’s important to remember that Rivers is beating backups and third-stringers. But it’s a step in the right direction at a time when Rivers is on the roster bubble. His two sacks will help him convince the Patriots he belongs on their roster in 2019 and that he wasn’t a waste of a draft choice in 2017.
