The New Orleans Saints announced Wednesday that they have been awarded linebacker Monty Rice off waivers. Here are five things to know about the Saints roster addition:
- After being selected in the third round of the 2021 NFL draft by the Tennessee Titans out of Georgia, Rice played in 10 games his rookie year and tallied 36 tackles and 1 pass defensed.
- Rice had a career year in 2022, where he finished with 66 tackles and 1 pass defensed.
- Throughout the 2023 season, Rice has played in all 12 games this season and has totaled 26 tackles (14 solo) up to this point.
- The Huntsville, Ala., native appeared in 47 games with 28 starts during a four-year career (2017-20) at Georgia, where he tallied 219 tackles, 10.5 tackles for loss, two sacks, 21 quarterback pressures, five passes defensed, three forced fumbles and one fumble recovery returned for a touchdown.
- During his senior season at Georgia, Rice was named one of five finalists for the Butkus Award, which recognizes the nation's best linebacker. He was also named All-America Second Team by The Athletic and All-SEC First Team by the Associated Press.
