Ronnie Perkins has yet to play his first official NFL snap, but the young edge rusher has made a positive impression inside Gillette Stadium.
New England Patriots outside linebackers coach and defensive play-caller Steve Belichick on Wednesday said he’s pleased with the progress Perkins has made thus far.
“He’s doing great,” Belichick said. “He’s doing great. He does everything that we ask him to do, which I appreciate as a coach. Yeah, Ronnie’s doing great. I’m happy that he’s on our team, for sure.”
This has been a de facto redshirt season for the 2021 third-round draft pick. Perkins has been inactive for all 10 of New England’s games to date, mostly as a healthy scratch.
This was expected to be a developmental year for the Oklahoma product, though, as he transitions from a hand-in-the-dirt defensive end to a stand-up outside linebacker. The Patriots seem reluctant to play him at this stage. Last week, after Jamie Collins joined Chase Winovich on injured reserve, they elevated Tashawn Bower from the practice squad for edge depth rather than adding Perkins to the gameday roster.
Perkins showed promise in training camp and the preseason and should compete for a role in 2022.
Despite Perkins’ lack of playing time thus far, the Patriots have gotten strong contributions from their rookie class as a whole. Mac Jones (first round) is far outpacing his fellow first-year quarterbacks, Christian Barmore (second) has become a disruptive D-line stable and Rhamondre Stevenson (fourth) is coming off back-to-back games with 100 yards from scrimmage.
