According to Fox 19's Joe Danneman, a member of the Bengals organization said that Keith Rivers might not return until midway through the regular season, calling his wrist surgery a "rebuilding of his wrist." Rivers, sporting a massive cast on his right arm during the Bengals first training camp practice, was placed on the Active/Non-Football Injury List Friday, a day after reports surfaced that he could miss the first month of the regular season.
Rivers missing time during the regular season isn't uncommon. A broken jaw from a crack-back block from Steelers wide receiver Hines Ward forced Rivers to miss nine games in 2008, allowing Brandon Johnson to step in and average nearly 10 tackles per game during his nine-game stretch. Rivers missed three games in 2009 with a calf injury and a plantar fasciitis caused him to miss Cincinnati's 15-10 win over the Baltimore Ravens, likely slowing down due to the pain the injury causes.
Even with the injuries, Rivers' 196 tackles over the past two seasons is second only to Dhani Jones, who posted 302 stops since 2009. Where disappointment (of being a ninth overall draft pick) largely comes with Rivers isn't his tackling, it's his play-making ability. Through 35 career NFL games, Rivers has posted two interceptions and two quarterback sacks as the team's weak-side linebacker.