Three seasons, seven games.
This is the story of Derek Rivers’ New England Patriots to date.
Since his third-round draft in 2017, Rivers has noticed action in only 12.7% of the New England regular-season or postseason games (seven out of 55) and posted a large total of one hundred shots (97 in defence, 3 in special teams), all of which came in the 2018 season.
In 2017, Rivers ruptured his anterior cruciate ligament in a joint practice with the Houston Texans, ending his rookie campaign. Then, after languishing as a healthy scratch for much of 2018, adding the DNPs in the AFC championship game and Super Bowl LIII, he suffered another knee injury at the end of the season in a preseason game last summer.
Now 26 and entering the final year of his rookie contract, Rivers faces the top summer of his football career. Another serious injury or poor functionality at the Patriots’ education camp, and his NFL career could be over.
So far, he’s been up to the challenge.
Rivers is positive in the New England outdoor supporters’ war in the team’s first nine loose practices. And while its availability remains worrying (he has been absent in 3 of the nine workouts), his functionality has caught the attention of head coach Bill Belichick.
“It’s wonderful to have Riv there,” Belichick said before Wednesday’s practice. “He’s had a great camp and he’s playing with a lot of confidence. He gained a lot of strength and explosiveness, as well as the rehabilitation of his injury. His overall composition of the painting, strength and strength are
Rivers attributed his physical improvement to the Patriots strength and conditioning coach, Moses Cabrera, who devised a plan to follow while recovering in good health. Now that this camp has begun, he is looking to “work on everything” for “a more complete player”.
“It’s a blessing to have those guys (of coaches) and that kind of wisdom to help us stronger, faster, more explosive in our game,” said Rivers, who has a career bag and two tackles for life after Wednesday’s practice. “Just stick to your schedule.”
With Kyle Van Noy starting at the flexible agency, the Patriots’ outdoor organization is largely made up of younger or less experienced players, with the exception of John Simon and veteran rookie Brandon Copeland.
Sophomore Professional Chase Winovich will probably play a more important role after solid functionality as a situational pass pin last season, and Shilique Calhoun can also see his defensive play time increase. Winovich and Calhoun were among the Patriots’ top five most sensitive special group players in 2019.
Belichick also spoke about Tashawn Bower, who joined the Patriots practice team last November as a competitive player for OLB opportunities. Rookie supporters Josh Uche and Anfernee Jennings also revel in the game on the edge.
Given the uncertainty surrounding the entire New England supporter group, we don’t see Rivers as a key detail for being one of 53 players. Belichick, however, turns out to be superior in the youngstown state product.
“We’ve noticed a lot of smart competitions in this position, and it’ll be appealing to see how it’s going,” Belichick said. “But Derek has done a smart task and is way ahead of what he was in the past. Every day it turns out that it fits a little more consistent, a little more confident, and I think you can help us.”