Tag: Derek Rivers

Houston Texans practice squad tracker: Building the 16-player squad

Follow along with all of the Houston Texans’ transactions as they build their 16-man practice squad to start the 2021 season.

The Houston Texans are building their 16-man practice squad. For the most part, it has been a bunch of players from the original 80-man training camp roster. Here are the players expected to be signed back to the practice squad:

Sept. 1 — FB-TE Paul Quessenberry

Sept. 1 — G Lane Taylor

Sept. 1 — CB Antonio Phillips

Sept. 1 — DE Derek Rivers

Sept. 1 — S Jonathan Owens

Sept. 1 — CB Shyheim Carter

Sept. 1 — WR Chris Moore

Sept. 1 — CB Isaiah Johnson

Sept. 1 — TE Antony Auclair

Sept. 1 — C Ryan McCollum

Sept. 1 — WR Jordan Veasy

Sept. 1 — OT Carson Green

Sept. 1 — QB Jeff Driskel

Texans sign former Patriots, Rams DE Derek Rivers

The Houston Texans have signed former Los Angeles Rams and New England Patriots defensive end Derek Rivers.

The Houston Texans are collecting new general manager Nick Caserio’s pet cats.

According to Aaron Wilson of the Houston Chronicle, the Texans have agreed to a deal with former New England Patriots and Los Angeles Rams defensive end Derek Rivers. The former Patriots 2017 third-round pick from Youngstown State will earn $1.3 million in 2021 as he plays for the third team of his career.

Rivers spent his rookie season on injured reserve as he recovered from a torn ACL. In 2018, he made his NFL debut and collected 1.0 sack in six games. Injuries derailed his preseason and ultimately his season in 2019. Rivers attempted a bounce back in 2020 with four combined tackles in eight games. However, the Patriots waived him on Nov. 21, 2020 with the Rams claiming him two days later.

The 6-5, 250-pound defensive end collected one tackle with the Rams in his five games with the NFC West club.

Here’s why former Patriots DE Derek Rivers impressed the Rams

The Los Angeles Rams hope to capture the strong skillset Derek Rivers brings to the table.

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The New England Patriots will see a familiar face on the opposite side on Thursday. The Los Angeles Rams claimed edge rusher Derek Rivers off waivers from the Patriots last month.

The Youngstown State product played in six games for the Patriots in 2018, recording a sack and two tackles. Injuries have bogged down his career, and he is now looking for a fresh start with the Rams.

Rivers made his Los Angeles debut on Sunday, playing of five snaps on defense and 16 snaps on special-teams. In acquiring Rivers off waivers, Rams head coach Sean McVay talked about what he saw in the defensive end. In particular, McVay mentioned his skill set as well as his ability to communicate.

“(I) liked his skill set, like some of the physical tools that he has, and he has a great look in his eye,” McVay said in a video conference. “I really like his demeanor and his disposition. Great communicator. You can see he’s come from a place that does things the right way. He’s been coached well, just how seamless he was able to jump in on special teams and understand the things that we’re looking for.”

It will be interesting to see if Rivers can make any impact on Thursday, as he looks to continue impressing the Rams organization.

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Rams claim former Patriots DE Derek Rivers off waivers

The Rams added a pass rusher to their defense on Monday.

The Los Angeles Rams have added a player to their defense, claiming defensive end Derek Rivers off waivers from the New England Patriots. Rivers, a former third-round pick in the 2017 NFL draft, was waived by the Patriots last week.

Rivers won’t be eligible to play for the Rams on Monday night against the Buccaneers, but the move will be made official on Tuesday. Field Yates of ESPN was the first to report the transaction.

Rivers hasn’t panned out since being drafted in the third round three years ago, struggling to stay on the field and healthy. He’s suffered two season-ending injuries in his career, once in 2017 and again in 2019.

As a result, he’s played just 14 games and hasn’t made a single start. In those 14 appearances, he has 2.5 sacks and six QB hits.

The Rams play the Patriots in a couple of weeks, so perhaps he can provide some inside information on his former team and the defense it runs. Los Angeles currently has plenty of depth at outside linebacker, but this could be a bad sign for Ogbonnia Okoronkwo’s recovery from an elbow injury.

Sean McVay said he doesn’t know when Okoronkwo could be activated off IR, having been on there for the last six weeks.

Patriots place Sony Michel, Shaq Mason, Derek Rivers on Reserve/COVID-19 list

New England will be missing several players heading into Sunday’s game.

The New England Patriots will be a little bit short heading into Sunday’s game. Running backs Sony Michel, guard Shaq Mason and defensive end Derek Rivers were placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list this weekened.

The losses of Mason in particular leave some tinkering to be done within the Patriots offensive line. Rivers has recorded six tackles and 2.5 sacks so far this season or New England. He has proven himself to be a viable pass rusher on defense. Michel, meanwhile, was already on injured reserve with a quad injury.

As the New England Patriots get set to take on the Denver Broncos, it will be interesting to see how the organization adapts to the losses of those three players. In a season that has been unlike any other, this news is just another example of the twist and turns this season has presented.

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Two former Georgia Bulldog stars join NFL Reserve/COVID-19 list

Two former Georgia Bulldog players have joined the Reserve/COVID-19 list: New England Patriots RB Sony Michel and Jaguars WR Terry Godwin.

Two former Georgia Bulldog players have joined the Reserve/COVID-19 list. New England Patriots running back Sony Michel joins the list. The Patriots additionally added Shaq Mason and Derek Rivers to the list.

If a player is put on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, then it doesn’t always mean that they have the virus. Some players on the list have simply come into contact with people who have tested positive.

New England will be without some key players ahead of Sunday’s game against the Denver Broncos. Sony Michel has rushed for 173 yards on only 26 carries this season. Michel hasn’t played since Sept. 27.

The Jacksonville Jaguars practice squad placed a dozen of their players on the Reserve/COVID-19 list, including former Georgia Bulldog wide receiver Terry Godwin. Jacksonville’s starters isolate from their practice squad.

Tom Pelissero of NFL Network and Field Yates of ESPN reported the stories. Pelissero included the full list of Jaguar practice squad players on the list:

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N’Keal Harry is among 4 Patriots to return to training camp practice

Big news for N’Keal Harry, who seemed to be falling behind in a position battle.

The New England Patriots saw four players, receiver N’Keal Harry, defensive end Derek Rivers, tackle Yodny Cajuste and cornerback D’Angelo Ross, return to training camp practice for the team’s sixth session on Sunday, according to reporters on the scene.

The Patriots’ absentees were as follows: cornerback Stephon Gilmore and Michael Jackson, running backs James White, J.J. Taylor, Sony Michel (PUP) and Lamar Miller (PUP), tight end Jake Burt, reciever Jeff Thomas, defensive linemen Beau Allen and Tashawn Bower and safety Adrian Phillips.

Harry returns after a three-day absence for undisclosed reasons. He’s in a very competitive position battle for one of the starting receiver spots behind Julian Edelman. Harry will work against Mohamed Sanu, Damiere Byrd, Gunner Olszewski and Jakobi Meyers, among others.

The Patriots’ session on Sunday was the second consecutive practice without pads. They also got the day off on Saturday,

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