New England Patriots - NESN.com
The New England Patriots made an intriguing move by signing wide receiver Brenden Rice, the son of Hall of Famer Jerry Rice.
The Los Angeles Chargers selected Rice in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He saw action in three games as a rookie, primarily on special teams, before finishing the year on injured reserve.
Los Angeles waived Rice as part of the final roster cuts this season. After some time looking for his next job, Rice signed with the Patriots’ practice squad
When asked why the Patriots brought in Rice, Vrabel said there were many factors, but the team is already impressed with him.
“He has good size and I think he’s shown the ability to learn quickly,” Vrabel said at his press conference on Wednesday. “I think that that was something that’s important at this time of year, being able to get a guy in here that can help us at multiple spots if something happens. Start on the practice squad and then everybody has to prepare like a starter.”
Rice will begin on the practice squad and will look to get familiar with the offense.
If the Patriots do eventually promote Rice to the 53-man roster, he would join a receiver core that features the likes of Stefon Diggs, Kayshon Boutte, Mack Hollins, and DeMario Douglas, among others.
New England will go on the road to play the Tampa Bay Buccaneers on Sunday in Week 10 NFL action.
