The Las Vegas Raiders signed Cameron McGrone as a depth player while cutting Brenden Rice, son of Jerry Rice.
The Las Vegas Raiders announced another post-draft roster move as they signed linebacker Cameron McGrone and cut receiver Brenden Rice, with the moves announced by Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk and other outlets.
McGrone turns 26 next month, and last season he played four games for the Indianapolis Colts and one for the Cleveland Browns. He played in a total of 43 offensive snaps to go with 68 more on special teams, accounting for two tackles in the dual role.
The linebacker was selected in the fifth round in 2021 by the New England Patriots, but he never appeared in a regular season game for the Pats. He joined the Colts in December of 2022 and played on one game for Indianapolis, and he’s played in a total of 27 games in his pro career to date.
Rice, meanwhile, certainly has the right lineage to have an NFL career. He’s the son of Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice of the San Franciso 49ers, and he got a lot of publicity when the Raiders signed him to a futures deal in January after he spent time on their practice squad last year.
Rice was selected in the seventh round by the Los Angeles Chargers back in 2024, and he has also spent time with the Patriots and the Seattle Seahawks. The 24-year old son of Jerry has appeared in just three games so far, all with the Chargers, so this move could conceivably be the end of his NFL career.
For the Raiders, the positional aspects of this move aren’t all that surprising. They’re in the process of revamping their receiver group, and while they still don’t have a top target, they are committed to giving their current group of Tre Tucker, Jack Bech and Dont’e Thornton Jr. another go-round.
They underperformed last year, both individually and collectively, but new coach Klint Kubiak seems to believe there’s talent to be mined with a better offensive system, more stability and better quarterbacking.
McGrone represents a possible depth piece at linebacker, which also makes sense given the Raiders’ pricey signings in free agency at that position. McGrone could get a solid shot to play a role on special teams, but he’ll have plenty of competition in camp as the Raiders continue to overhaul their roster.
Moves like this look insignificant on paper, but the overall improvement in this roster will go a long way toward any possible improvement in Las Vegas.