New England Patriots rookie defensive end Derek Rivers could be lost for the season due to injury, leaving the defense thin on the edge in 2017.
The New England Patriots didn’t make a selection in the 2017 NFL Draft until the third round. Through a litany of trades, as they have a penchant for doing, that’s where they ended up. As they are equally prone to doing, the Patriots still found value. Defensive end Derek Rivers fell to them and they were able to get a standout from Youngstown State.
Rivers was set to be a key rotational piece for the Patriots this season as depth on the edge was one of the few weak spots on their roster. Unfortunately, that doesn’t look as if it will be the case due to injury.
In practice on Thursday, Rivers suffered a serious knee injury, which a first MRI revealed to be a torn ACL. According to reports, New England’s preliminary belief is that he will miss the entire season (per NFL.com). He will get a second opinion to determine how he will need to recover, but it seems as if they’ll be without him.
For the Patriots, this is a pretty substantial blow to their defense. The unit wasn’t particularly strong a season ago, or at least as strong as some would have you believe. Then again, they won the Super Bowl, so it was strong enough. However, not having enough bodies on the edge could be a big blow.
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As of right now, Trey Flowers and Kony Ealy are pencilled in as the starters at defensive end for New England. Flowers was quite good for the Pats a year ago. Meanwhile, they traded for Ealy with the Carolina Panthers, whom the talented rusher struggled with last season. Ealy was traded due to concerns over his consistency, and with a contract situation looming as he nears the end of a rookie deal.
Beyond that, though, the Patriots are young at the position. Rivers would’ve been a part of that, surely. However, he was by far the most talented and offered the highest upside of the depth at the position. Now the Pats won’t have him to spell relief for Ealy and Flowers. Instead, guys like Keionta Davis and Deatrich Wise Jr. — both rookies — will be relied on.
Having to rely on less-talented depth isn’t a comforting notion. Even if Ealy returns to form and Flowers keeps progressing, having bodies to come in and still make an impact behind them is pivotal to a defense’s success. Losing Rivers robs them of that.
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Looking through a larger scope, the Patriots still have a litany of talent on both sides of the ball. However, the one area that could’ve been circled as a weakness for 2017 was depth on the edge. Now that area is even more of a concern, and will certainly be something to keep an eye on moving forward.