By John Sarianides

The title of this piece may just be the overstatement of the year but I am going with it anyways. Losing rookie defensive end/outside linebacker Derek Rivers could indeed be a crushing blow for the Patriots this season. 

The Patriots were counting on the young pass rusher to replace the recently retired Rob Ninkovich. Bill Belichick knew  Ninkovich might retire prior to the start of the season so he used two of the team’s four picks in this past draft on edge rushers. 

Not only was Rivers counted on to replace Ninkovich, he was also going to fill the void left by veteran Chris Long who departed in free agency. Long was the team’s situational pass rusher in sub packages last season.

The Patriots have struggled to generate a consistent pass rush out of their base fronts in recent years. Even when Chandler Jones was here, the Patriots had to blitz on obvious passing downs in order to get pressure. They will have to do the same this season.

The Patriots are thin at defensive end so they may end up having to bring a veteran at some point before the start of the season. Either way you look at it, Rivers could have made an impact this season. Now, we will never know.