Washington head coach Ron Rivera met with the media via Zoom on Friday after the WFT’s 22-13 loss to New England in the preseason opener.
The best news from Rivera’s Friday presser was there were no major injuries on Thursday,
Ron Rivera time. On the injury front, says preliminary report from.the training staff is no notable injuries. He'll get a full report later.
— Ben Standig (@BenStandig) August 13, 2021
Rivera also went over the performance of several of his rookies and came away impressed.
Sam Cosmi started the game at right tackle and played most of the first half. Cosmi did well in both pass blocking and in the run game. Rivera praised his hand placement and footwork.
Rivera liked Cosmi's hand placement/footwork. also liked his communication.
Me: That was evident on how he handled stunts. A nice job. Had some hiccups in pass sets but overall a solid job and saw some good run blocks too. Drove his man a few times.— John Keim (@john_keim) August 13, 2021
At this point, it’s difficult to imagine anyone else starting at right tackle in Week 1. Cosmi has gradually gotten better each day this summer.
Rivera paid rookie tight end Sammis Reyes, an ideal compliment.
Ron Rivera said Sammis Reyes “might be” the team’s most physical blocker. Doesn’t want to get too far ahead of himself, but likes what he saw
— Rhiannon Walker (@InstantRHIplay) August 13, 2021
Reyes caught two passes but didn’t look natural either time. That’s ok. Reyes offers plenty of things you can’t teach, such as size, athleticism and physicality. Thursday’s performance would have to be considered encouraging from Reyes.
What about first-round pick Jamin Davis?
Ron Rivera said he can see Jamin Davis overthinking, but believes with added reps, added practice it will start to become second-nature for him so he doesn't play with hesitance.
— Nicki Jhabvala (@NickiJhabvala) August 13, 2021
Davis didn’t stand out in his first professional action. Some fans were panicking. Relax. Once things slow down for Davis, he is going to be an outstanding NFL linebacker.
Rivera wants to further expand undrafted rookie running Jaret Patterson’s duties.
Ron Rivera has compared rookie RB Jaret Patterson to Chargers great Darren Sproles. And now Rivera says he wants to see Patterson get some reps as a punt returner. Very, very interesting. Patterson looked good last night in preseason opener
— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) August 13, 2021
Patterson was extremely impressive on Thursday.
Wide receiver Dyami Brown and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste also impressed in limited duty.
Washington fans should be encouraged about its 2021 rookie class.