FOXBORO, Mass. — New England Patriots head coach Bill Belichick was feeling complimentary Wednesday morning in one of his tri-weekly video conference calls
Belichick heaped generous praise on outside linebacker Derek Rivers. He even said he missed seeing the media in person. (No, really.)
But Belichick saved his highest acclaim for 2019 fifth-round pick Byron Cowart, who played in just five games and took the field for 44 total snaps last season as he was buried on the defensive tackle depth chart behind Danny Shelton, Lawrence Guy and Adam Butler.
Shelton is gone, and his prospective replacement at nose tackle, Beau Allen, has yet to take the practice field in front of the media this summer.