Week 1 Patriots vs Texans inactives: Derek Rivers a surprise inactive on opening day

In not even 90 minutes, the New England Patriots will open their 2018 regular season against the Houston Texans. And while the active roster is in solid physical shape, not all 53 men currently under contract will be able to participate in today’s contest as a look at the Patriots’ list of inactive players shows:

RB Sony Michel

OL Brian Schwenke

WR Chad Hansen

CB Keion Crossen

CB J.C. Jackson

TE Jacob Hollister

DE Derek Rivers

Most of the inactive players for today’s game had to be expected. First-round rookie Sony Michel and Jacob Hollister were limited all week in practice because of injuries, and were listed as questionable to play on Friday’s final injury report. The other inactives, meanwhile, are healthy stretches.

Brian Schwenke is a depth option along the offensive line and was called up from the practice squad earlier this week. Rookies Keion Crossen and J.C. Jackson, on the other hand, are cornerbacks number five and six, while Chad Hansen was only recently claimed off waivers and had only a handful of practices to familiarize himself with New England’s offense.

The most surprising inactive is Derek Rivers. The 2017 third-round draft pick, who is coming off a stint on injured reserve but was full-go all summer, saw plenty of action during training camp and the preseason. However, it appears as if the Patriots prefer fellow second-year man Keionta Davis and veteran special teamer Geneo Grissom as their depth edge defenders today.

Not listed with the inactives is starting right tackle Marcus Cannon, who also missed three weeks worth of training camp practices because of an injury. However, the veteran is expected back in the starting lineup today with his activity an indicator for that.

The Texans’ inactives look as follows:

WR Will Fuller V

WR Keke Coutee

CB Kayvon Webster

LB Duke Ejiofor

OT Kendall Lamm

DE Carlos Watkins

DE Joel Heath