Both served as standard elevations Sunday at Highmark Stadium.
Wide receiver Alex Erickson and linebacker Monty Rice reverted to the New England Patriots’ practice squad on Monday after serving as standard elevations at Highmark Stadium.
The 24-21 loss to the Buffalo Bills marked the 2024 debuts for both veterans.
Erickson, 32, played seven snaps on special teams in Orchard Park. He stood back deep for kickoffs and fielded three punts, including a pair of fair catches, in the absence of injured incumbent Marcus Jones. Now 108 games into his run, Erickson signed to the practice squad last week. The 6-foot, 195-pound Wisconsin product entered the NFL with the Cincinnati Bengals as an undrafted free agent in 2016. He led the league in kickoff return yards as a rookie and has spent recent years between the Houston Texans, Carolina Panthers, Washington Commanders, New York Jets and Los Angeles Chargers. A 17-game starter, his career spans 112 catches for 1,373 yards and two touchdowns to go with averages of 8.0 yards per punt return and 24.8 yards per kickoff return.
Rice, 25, saw 13 snaps on special teams on Sunday after landing in Foxborough in November. Selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft at No. 92 overall, he logged his initial three campaigns with the Tennessee Titans under former head coach Mike Vrabel. Appearing 35 games and starting 10 at linebacker during his stay, Rice registered 631 snaps on defense and 412 snaps on special teams. He had a hand in 128 tackles and two pass deflections before being claimed off waivers by the New Orleans Saints last December. After clearing waivers in August, the 6-foot, 233-pound Georgia product then signed to the practice squad of the Atlanta Falcons at its formation. He became a free agent as the calendar turned to October.
New England promoted rookie running back Terrell Jennings from the practice squad to the 53-man roster on the eve of the matchup with the AFC East champions. The organization currently carries an open spot in both departments as a result.
The Los Angeles Chargers visit Gillette Stadium as part of next Saturday’s NFL tripleheader. Kickoff has been set for 1 p.m. ET.