The New England Patriots are signing wide receiver Brenden Rice to their practice squad, according to multiple reports
Rice, the son of NFL Hall of Famer Jerry Rice, was drafted by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He appeared in three games as a rookie, earning just three offensive snaps. He split his collegiate career between Colorado and USC but broke out in 2023 with the Trojans, putting together a strong senior campaign with 791 receiving yards and 12 touchdowns.
After Rice was waived by the Chargers before roster cutdowns, the Patriots brought him in for a tryout in late September. Although he didn’t sign at that time, New England kept tabs on the young receiver. Now, with wideout Kayshon Boutte suffering a Grade 1 hamstring injury, the team decided to add depth at the position.
Boutte left last week’s game against the Atlanta Falcons with the injury, but said he hopes he won’t be out for long. Head coach Mike Vrabel echoed that sentiment, telling the media that Boutte is “day-to-day.”
“Kayshon’s going to be day-to-day,” Vrabel said. “I don’t see him practicing early in the week. We’ll see where that goes late in the week, but Kyle should be ready to go for us.”
To make room for Rice on the practice squad, the Patriots released running back Jonathan Ward, who had signed just last week. With the team’s backfield depth in good shape, Ward became the odd man out.
My name is Ben Belford-Peltzman and I am the creator and writer of The Patriots Beat. I am a 19-year kid who is an optimistic pessimist about the City of Champions. I started The Patriots Beat in August of 2022 and never expected to grow so much but here we are. Feel free to email Ben.BelfordPeltzman@gmail.com with any inquires.
