It’s the season to write about wide receivers for the Los Angeles Chargers as it’s one of the keys to taking their offense to the next level. I wrote about Brenden Rice in May of last year, given Rice’s family history and his career highs in 2023, I dubbed him as an honorable mention in the running to become the successor to wide receiver Keenan Allen and take up a crucial part of the receiving core.
Well, we all know how the season turned out, with fellow rookie wide receiver Ladd McConkey, a Georgia Bulldog and 34th pick of the second round, becoming the go-to receiver, appearing Allen-like in many clutch situations in 2024. Rice started out promising but didn’t live up to expectations.
Brenden Rice’s 2024 For The Los Angeles Chargers
Rice didn’t make a huge splash during the preseason games. During the first one against the Seahawks, in the fourth quarter, quarterback Luis Perez tried to fit the ball between two defenders to Rice in the end zone, and understandably so, Rice couldn’t haul it in. And he didn’t have any receptions during that game.
There was a bright spot during the third game against Dallas, as Eric Smith of the Chargers site noted that wide receiver Derius Davis “gave a shoutout to rookie Brenden Rice for his block down the left sideline,” as Davis turned on the jets and ran the ball in for a 70-yard touchdown on the Chargers first drive of that matchup. During training camp, Rice made some big catches. Smith noted a couple of “over-the-shoulder” catches by Rice during camp.
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And on day 14, Daniel Popper of The Athletic said “Rice has an obvious feel for the position. Not a surprise, considering his father is Hall of Famer Jerry Rice. The younger Rice is a clean and fluid route runner, which he showed off in Wednesday’s practice when he beat Leonard on a comeback route to the outside left. Rice has enough speed to attack the deep part of the field, and he uses his 6-foot-3 frame well in contested-catch situations.”
Popper also noticed that Rice earned some praise from offensive coordinator Greg Roman before the first preseason game, as Roman said that Rice was doing some great things and could run all day. Once the regular season started, things went downhill for Rice. He mostly participated via special teams in a few games and then in November, he was placed on injured reserve due to a shoulder injury and didn’t see the field for the rest of the season. All his promises seemed to fizzle out as his opportunities to make an impact were few and far between.
Rice’s 2025 Outlook
When talking about Rice after he was eligible to come back from injured reserve, Smith said “Rice is still a player the Chargers like long term, but it remains to be seen how much he’ll help out in 2024.”
Given that, if healthy, Rice should be able to resume the production he showed last summer. If he’s given more opportunities outside of special teams, because of his father’s NFL legacy and what Rice has shown so far from last year’s camp, I still believe he’s capable of making a name in that wide receiver three or four-capacity. Who the Chargers bring in during free agency and the draft, how well Rice does during camp, and his health, will determine how far he goes down the depth chart.