GREEN BAY, Wis. — For the second day in a row, the Green Bay Packers are taking a swing at another former seventh-round pick.
They claimed 24-year-old wide receiver Brenden Rice off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders. Rice is the son of Jerry Rice, the Hall of Fame wideout who is widely considered to be the best to ever play his position.
On Tuesday, the Packers claimed cornerback M.J. Devonshire off waivers from the Buffalo Bills and tight end Luke Lachey from the Houston Texans. Devonshire was officially announced on Wednesday, with defensive tackle James Ester being released as a corresponding roster move. Lachey likely hasn't arrived in Green Bay yet, and thus hasn't taken a physical.
Rice, who was drafted No. 225 overall by the Los Angeles Chargers, has yet to stick in the league for very long. The 6'3" and 210-pound receiver appeared in just three games for the Chargers as a rookie in 2024, but played just two offensive snaps. He played extensively in the preseason each of the last two years, but never did enough to solidify himself as a mainstay on the Chargers' 53-man roster.
Brenden Rice embraces father Jerry before a preseason game against the 49ers at Levi's Stadium. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
In his rookie preseason, Rice caught just one of his 12 targets across three games for 11 yards. The following year, the numbers were better, but still ghastly for a receiver trying to leave his imprint on the league in the same manner his father once did. In four contests—including the Hall of Fame Game—Rice caught three of his nine targets for 32 yards.
After being waived during final cut-downs last summer, Rice spent seven days with the New England Patriots and two weeks with the Seattle Seahawks during the regular season before ending the year on the Raiders' practice squad.
Rice played two years at Colorado at the collegiate level, but he didn't truly place himself on the league's radar until he transferred to USC for his junior season. Over the next two years, Rice caught 84 passes for 1,402 yards and 16 touchdowns—12 of which came during his senior campaign.
Unless he really turns heads over the summer, Rice is going to have a hard time cracking the Packers' initial roster. Even after deciding not to re-sign Romeo Doubs and trading away Dontayvion Wicks to the Philadelphia Eagles, the Packers' pass-catching corps remains fully-stocked.
Christian Watson, Jayden Reed, and Matthew Golden headline the room, with Savion Williams and Bo Melton rounding out the primary five. Skyy Moore, who was signed in free agency, is likely to have a roster spot dedicated to him purely for return duties, but head coach Matt LaFleur is likely to weaponize him on offense, too. That's already six names on the depth chart, with J. Michael Sturdivant, Will Sheppard, Isaiah Neyor, Jakobie Keeney-James, and now Rice all expected to make an argument for a seventh.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 12th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com