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The Patriots hosted wide receiver Brenden Rice for a free-agent workout on Tuesday.
We’ve reached the NFL Trade Deadline, but the New England Patriots first move of the day is not a trade; rather it is a signing. NFL insider Jordan Schultz announced that the Patriots have signed Hall of Famer Jerry Rice’s son Brenden Rice to their practice squad.
The depth move comes just after Kayshon Boutte left Sunday’s game with an apparent hamstring injury.
Rice was picked by the Los Angeles Chargers in the seventh round of the 2024 NFL Draft. He remained on the Chargers practice squad for most of the 2024 season and did dress for three games, though he didn’t register any touches. He was cut by the Chargers during the 2025 training camp.
Rice is a depth addition for the Patriots, who are still relatively healthy at receiver outside of Boutte, who has been listed as day-to-day.
Rice split his college career between Colorado and USC, finding more success with the latter. He caught 45 passes for 791 yards and 12 touchdowns his senior year.
Boutte Day-To-Day; Potential Elevated Roles For Williams, Chism
Kayshon Boutte has been a revelation for New England this season after an underwhelming start to his NFL career. The third-year receiver has caught 23 passes for 431 yards this season, and has a team leading five touchdown receptions. He has become second-year quarterback Drake Maye’s No. 1 end zone target in his breakout season.
Patriots head coach Mike Vrabel announced that Boutte is day-to-day, a good sign that this won’t be anything that keeps him out for an extended period. He exited New England’s week nine game against Atlanta in the first half.
In Boutte’s absence, Demario Douglas stepped up as a deep threat target for Maye, catching four passes for 100 yards and a beautiful touchdown.
If Boutte does miss a game or two, Douglas, Stefon Diggs and Mack Hollins are more than capable of providing offense for the wide receiver room, but we could see more of rookies Kyle Williams and Efton Chism in his absence.
Williams was New England’s third round selection in the 2025 NFL Draft, but has gone largely unnoticed, catching just two passes through nine weeks. This could be a great opportunity for offensive coordinator Josh McDaniels to draw up more targets for the rookie to see if he could play a more sizable role in the future.
Chism made waves in training camp, beating out a few other receivers for a roster spot. He has been one of the Patriots’ kickoff returners this season, but could see more snaps on offense in Boutte’s potential absence.
Maye and Mayfield To Face Off in Week 10
Drake Maye and Baker Mayfield came into the 2025 season as projected mid-tier quarterbacks, but have both played themselves into the MVP conversation as we reach the halfway point of the NFL season.
Maye and Mayfield both play similar styles as dual-threat QB’s with big arms. Maye leads the NFL in completion percentage at an astounding 74.1 percent, while Mayfield has thrown the second-fewest INT’s among NFL starters.
More importantly, Maye and Mayfield have led their teams to records of 7-2 and 6-2, respectively. This is a statement game for both QB’s as they look to pick up big wins for their teams and solidify their cases for MVP.
Maye currently has the third-best odds to win MVP at +450, while Mayfield has the fifth-best odds at +1600.