Chowder and Champions
Fansided

New England Patriots: 5 veterans on the early 55-man roster bubble

By Tarringo Basile-vaughan

CINCINNATI, OHIO - DECEMBER 15: Rex Burkhead #34 of the New England Patriots runs on his way to scoring a 33-yard rushing touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals in the game at Paul Brown Stadium on December 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images)
CINCINNATI, OHIO - DECEMBER 15: Rex Burkhead #34 of the New England Patriots runs on his way to scoring a 33-yard rushing touchdown during the fourth quarter against the Cincinnati Bengals in the game at Paul Brown Stadium on December 15, 2019 in Cincinnati, Ohio. (Photo by Bobby Ellis/Getty Images) /
facebooktwitterreddit
Prev
2 of 6
Next
New England Patriots Derek Rivers (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
New England Patriots Derek Rivers (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Can Derek Rivers give New England Patriots a valued edge?

With just one sack in his NFL career, New England Patriots third-year linebacker Derek Rivers is looking to stay healthy enough to finally make some sort of impact on a team that believed that he was an undervalued treasure when they selected him in the 2017 NFL Draft.

Viewed as a talented pass rusher out of Youngstown State, the former third-round pick has been hampered with injuries his first three seasons.  Not only did he miss his entire rookie season, he also missed the 2019 NFL campaign with a right knee injury.

More from Chowder and Champions

Combined with the left ACL tear he suffered in his rookie season, Derek Rivers is not only focused on getting back to full strength on the field, he is also looking to be a player who emerges for the New England Patriots.

With the loss of Kyle Van Noy to free agency, Rivers is one of a few players who will have an opportunity to shine in 2020, but he is also a player who will have to battle just to make the team because of those injuries.

Can Derek Rivers bring value to the edge as a linebacker?

There are a lot of young players he will be competing with, including 2020 rookie linebackers John Uche and Anfernee Jennings.

There are also veterans like Brandon Copeland, Tashwan Bower and Shilique Calhoun who Rivers would have to leap over to show Bill Belichick that he is both ready and healthy to be the player the New England Patriots drafted back in 2017.

Home/New England Patriots