It was an unexpected opportunity for a player who ascended during training camp and wasn’t even in the mix at guard until the final two weeks of preseason.
“Looking back at it, you got thrown into the fire, you didn’t think you were gonna go in, so it’s just learning the things on film that I saw, and as a whole, of course, we didn’t get the outcome we wanted to,” Rivers said. “But just watching film and talking with the coaches, talking with teammates, just like just bouncing back ideas and, you know, learning from what our mistakes were yesterday. It felt great for me my first game in because I can build off of that. I mean, you know, I played not the best, but I can build off of that with the games to come whenever my name gets called next.”
The Bengals drafted Rivers in the fifth round out of the University of Miami, where he primarily played left tackle over his final two seasons after switching from left guard. In 2024, he helped pave the way for the No. 1 offense in the nation in both points per game (43.9) and yards per game (537.2) and helped the offensive line earn a spot on the Joe Moore Award Honor Roll at midseason, recognizing the nation’s top-performing unit.
Rivers started eight games at left tackle, but also saw snaps at left guard, earning an All-ACC honorable mention nod and only allowing one sack in 348 pass block snaps.
When he joined the Bengals, they had him repping at tackle and it seemed he might be an option for the swing tackle role, as he moved from the left to right side and sometimes filled in with the first-team offense. Eventually, Cody Ford was removed from the competition at right guard, and Rivers saw opportunity there while Lucas Patrick was nursing an injury late in preseason.
Credit: AP
Credit: AP
Patrick went on injured reserve after suffering an injury in the opener, and that pushed Rivers up the depth chart, but the Bengals had signed the veteran Risner just before the start of the season and he was next in line for the starting job.
“I’m thankful for my versatility,” Rivers said. “That all started in college, and I credit that to my past offensive line coach and my past head coach, Coach (Alex) Mirabal and coach (Mario) Cristobal. That’s what they wanted my third year in, so I feel like it translated well for me to be able to play any position any team needs me to. In this case, the Bengals wanted me to rep when I first got here at tackle, and then now I’m focusing at guard. So yeah, it kind of sucks you can’t lock in on one position, but I’m thankful for it, because I get a taste. You just keep learning every day and learning from all the vets and the coaches, and it feels fine.”
Rivers said he was not expecting to play Sunday, but it was important for him to stay ready. It was “rewarding” when he got the opportunity to go in. By the time he entered, the Bengals already were down 34-3, but he tried not to look at the score.
Although no one played particularly well Sunday for the Bengals, Rivers said he put the same pressure on himself as he would have if it was a tight game. He didn’t allow a sack but did give up one pressure in 14 pass-blocking snaps. Pro Football Focus graded him at a 55.9 in run-blocking.
“Obviously, as with just about everybody out there and every coach that was in the building yesterday, we need to be better, but I thought he stepped in with poise,” Bengals offensive coordinator Dan Pitcher said. “He’s a big, long, talented guy. We took him for a reason in the draft. As a rookie, he’s a guy that has inspired a lot of confidence from both his coaches and his teammates because of his day-to-day approach. He’s intelligent. He’s made of the right stuff. He saw first real NFL action, and I think he’ll come out of it learning some things. And we know it’s going to grow from there.”
Rivers said there were a lot of looks he had never seen before from a tough Vikings defense.
If called upon in Week 4, he would be facing another big challenge from a Broncos defensive line that hit Chargers quarterback Justin Herbert 14 times and sacked him five times in a 23-20 loss Sunday. Rivers said he will spend the week preparing like he will play again and have a better chance to show what he can bring to Cincinnati’s offense.
“I feel like I’m really hard on myself, so like, even when I feel like I’m good at something, I feel like I got a lot to learn from a lot to, you know, correct when I’m watching my film, but I feel like I’m definitely an elite pass blocker,” Rivers said. “In the run game, that’s where I need to most improve. I mean, that’s as a whole, I feel like our run game (Sunday) really wasn’t the best. So, in that sense, I feel like it’s improvement in that area, but I’ll continue to grow.”
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