New England Patriots - NESN.com
Brenden Rice, son of NFL Hall of Fame wide receiver Jerry Rice, has been released from the New England Patriots practice squad, insider Mike Reiss reported Tuesday afternoon.
The move comes in the middle of a short week as New England prepares to take on the New York Jets on “Thursday Night Football” just five days after a hard-fought win over the first-place Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Rice’s release likely has less to do with his performance and more to do with the state of the Patriots’ running back room.
Rhamondre Stevenson, who was the team’s lead back until he suffered an injury in Week 8, is still listed as questionable to return for Thursday. He was not placed on injured reserve at the time of the injury, which implied that the team anticipated he would be back within a four-week window. But Reiss believes today’s move indicates a potential setback.
Additionally, undrafted running back Terell Jennings did not return after the second drive of the game Sunday. The 24-year-old received each of New England’s first four handoffs and was operating in a starting capacity to begin the game but is now listed as a limited participant on the injury report.
Factor in that rookie running back TreVeyon Henderson is just two days removed from the highest snap share of his career, and running back depth becomes a big uncertainty heading into a divisional clash.
Henderson did wind up on the Patriots’ first injury report of the week, listed as a limited participant with a knee injury.
This designation likely reflects the team’s focus on getting the young back healthy after he logged 15 touches in Sunday’s win rather than a real cause for concern as far as his availability on Thursday goes.
The new signee Jonathan Ward is an NFL journeyman who spent some time with head coach Mike Vrabel during his two seasons with the Tennessee Titans in 2022 and 2023.
Ward recorded 22 yards on five carries last season with the Pittsburgh Steelers.
