Report: New England Patriots Held Onto Intriguing Ex-LSU Pass Rusher

The New England Patriot signed eight players to future contracts at the end of the 2019 season. Defensive end Tashawn Bower is the most interesting pass rusher of the group the Patriots have at the moment.

The defensive end went undrafted out of LSU in 2017 and signed a contract with the Minnesota Vikings. Bower saw action in seven games and recorded five tackles with a sack before suffering a terrible Achilles injury last offseason. The team placed him on the non-football injury list, and he was waived in October. The Patriots added him to the practice squad in November.

At LSU, Bower only started seven games. However, he was an excellent pass rusher. Bower had four sacks, four quarterback hits and 12 hurries in just 123 pass-rush snaps in 2016 as a senior. He had similar production in two preseasons. The defensive end recorded three sacks, three quarterback hits and 11 hurries in just 148 preseason pass-rush snaps.

Bower is a talented pass rusher

Bower is 6-foot-5, 250 pounds, and this is considered a great size in the NFL. He ran a 4.82-second 40-yard dash with a 31-inch vertical leap, 10-feet, 1-inch broad jump, 7.2-second 3-cone drill and 4.37-second short shuttle at the 2017 NFL Scouting Combine. Bower’s numbers for height, 40 time, broad jump, three-cone, short shuttle and 60-yard shuttle go above the average for the role he plays.

When it comes to his role in New England, Bower will have to compete for a roster spot and snaps with edge defenders Derek Rivers, John Simon, Chase Winovich and Deatrich Wise. NFL teams see Shilique Calhoun as an unrestricted free agent. Keionta Davis is an exclusive-rights free agent.

Simon, Winovich, Wise, and Calhoun were part of the Patriots’ active roster in 2019. Rivers was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He spent the 2019 season on injured reserve. Rivers also missed his rookie campaign in 2017 due to a torn ACL. Davis joined the league in 2017. Injuries kept him away from the field in his rookie campaign and last season.

Bower may make the active roster, but there’s no guarantee for this. Let’s see what happens this spring. He has the potential to become part of the big game.

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