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 wind

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