NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo reports on Thursday morning that former New Orleans Saints linebacker Monty Rice is being signed by the Atlanta Falcons. Rice, 25, was released by the Saints on Tuesday. Garafolo reports that Atlanta will add Rice onto their practice squad initially.

Rice was originally a third-round choice in the 2021 NFL Draft by the Tennessee Titans out of Georgia. He played his first three seasons with the Titans. Over that span he accumulated 128 total tackles, including six for loss, in 35 game appearances and 10 starts. He was waived late last season, where he was picked up by the Saints for their practice squad to finish the year.

Rice was part of a close and hotly contested competition at linebacker for New Orleans this summer. In the preseason opener against Arizona, Rice led all defenders with seven tackles, adding three more stops in the finale against Tennessee.

Despite Rice’s play, the Saints elected to keep Demario Davis, Willie Gay Jr., Pete Werner, Anfernee Orji, D’Marco Jackson, and Jaylan Ford at linebacker on their initial 53-man squad. New Orleans then added linebackers Isaiah Stalbird and Khaleke Hudson to their practice squad on Wednesday.

Rice will be joining other former Saints David Onyemata, Kaden Elliss, and Kentavious Street on the Atlanta defense. The Falcons host the Saints in a Week 4 matchup on September 29. They’ll have a rematch against each other in Week 10 on November 10 in New Orleans.

The Saints and Falcons have one of the most bitter rivalries in the NFL. Their all-time series is tied at 55 wins each. New Orleans has won 10 of the last 13 meetings between these teams and is 25-11 against Atlanta since 2006.

With the addition of LB Monty Rice, there will be another face familiar with both sides in this heated rivalry. The two teams split their season series last year. New Orleans finished the season at 9-8 and tied for the NFC South lead. Atlanta finished at 7-10, their sixth consecutive losing season and third straight with double-digit losses.

Posted August 28, 2024 11:36pm EDT

Here is the breakdown of where the Atlanta Braves currently stand.

They have a 72-60 record and have won 12 of their last 17 games. They sit in second place in the National League East and possess the third NL wild card spot with a three-game cushion over the New York Mets.

They also quietly have one of the best records against teams over .500 this season at 48-34. Keep that in mind for October. 

After last season when they tore up the league in the regular season, this sounds like a bit of a letdown. They’ve also been barely holding their head above water at times. However, the Atlanta Braves know as well as any team in baseball how meaningful a regular-season record is come playoff time.

Injuries have piled up with the need to keep finding replacement players to plug in. Come to think of it, the more we look at the situation, the more it’s impressive that they are in their current position. 

Let’s look at who has been injured so far this season, both out for the season and who has missed significant time:

This doesn’t include guys who missed less than 30 days, such as starting pitchers Max Fried and Reynaldo Lopez. These are injuries that should have done a team in. How is being a playoff spot even possible? 

It came down to good management and the eagerness to step up and prove your worth. General manager Alex Anthopoulos has played chess with the roster. He found guys whose careers have seen better days and revived their careers. How’s that Chris Sale acquisition looking?

Multiple guys who were released by their previous teams just this season have looked stellar in Atlanta. The second chance got some players eager to show they still got it. 

Credit to manager Brian Snitker as well. Parts of the fan base have been throwing shade at him this season. While it’s not completely unwarranted, it takes a strong manager to hold things as well as he has together. 

He had some moves that paid off for a time. Jarred Kelenic was put in the lead-off spot and the Braves went on a nice run for a bit. Putting Lopez in the rotation led to an All-Star selection. Even just on Tuesday night, he put Michael Harris in the sixth spot in the order and he had himself a night. 

I’m not going to start saying that they should hand over the Manager of the Year Award to him. Let’s not get too crazy. But he should get some credit. 

Also, not to be that guy, but the power-of-friendship argument can be made here too. This is a tight-knit group of players in this clubhouse – some of these guys have been together for a few seasons now. The recent additions have fit right in with that. That band-of-brothers mentality can help a group overcome quite a number of obstacles. 

There’s still a month to play. A lot can happen. But despite the ups and downs, they still get to worry about September and possibly October. It’s quite a miracle taking place on the diamond.