FOXBORO, Mass. — Derek Rivers was supposed to help boost the New England Patriots’ pass rush this season.
Instead, the second-year pro has spent most of the year doing the same thing he did as a rookie: watching games in street clothes.
Rivers, the Patriots’ top pick in the 2017 NFL Draft (third round, 83rd overall), has been active for just five games this season after missing his entire debut campaign with a torn ACL.
Injuries haven’t been an issue for the young defensive end — all 10 of his DNPs have been healthy scratches — but Rivers has provided little production, playing a grand total of 62 defensive snaps and recording just one tackle.
Given these struggles, it’s easy to write Rivers off a draft bust. He’ll certainly be on the roster bubble next summer.
Patriots coach Bill Belichick, however, still sees untapped potential in the 24-year-old edge rusher.
“I like Derek,” Belichick said Friday. “I think he’s got a good future.”
Rivers has been inactive for each of the Patriots’ last six games — a result, Belichick said, of the health on the depth chart above him. Edge defenders Trey Flowers, Deatrich Wise, Adrian Clayborn and John Simon all have been injury-free since early November.
“He’s obviously been healthy,” Belichick said. “He’s worked hard every day. Last year, we had a ton of injuries at that position. This year, we’ve been totally healthy there, so the opportunities — well, we have more people for the same number of opportunities, but last year was a totally different situation. It couldn’t be more different from year to year.
“When he’s had an opportunity, he’s done well with it, both in practice and in games. I think he’s got a really good future. I’m glad we have him. He could be a good player. I think he is a good player, it’s just kind of a little bit of a situational thing right now.”
Rivers has not played since logging four snaps in New England’s Week 9 win over the Green Bay Packers. He and fellow second-year pro Keionta Davis (five straight healthy scratches) have been regulars on the inactive list during the second half of the season.
Despite Belichick’s praise for Rivers, neither he nor Davis got the call when the Patriots made Clayborn a healthy scratch Sunday against Josh Allen and the Buffalo Bills. Instead, the team opted to promote defensive end Ufomba Kamalu from the practice squad and immediately insert him into the lineup.
Kamalu played 13 defensive snaps in his Patriots debut, tallying one tackle for loss.
