His Hall of Fame father used to hurt the Washington Redskins. All Jerry Rice Jr. presumably wants to do is impress them.
The Redskin signed Rice on Thursday and released cornerback Blake Sailors. Though Rice has the big name because of his father's accomplishments, he has a long way to go to earn a roster spot. Rice went undrafted and failed to land a contract after a tryout this spring with Baltimore.
Rice started his college career at UCLA before transferring to UNLV, where he caught 11 passes for 86 yards this past season. His only touchdown catch came in a bowl game. The 5-foot-11, 185-pound Rice caught nine passes for 69 yards with UCLA.
The addition of Rice gives Washington 13 receivers on its roster with less than a month to go before training camp. Sailors, a cornerback from Georgia, was a longshot to make the roster.
Rice's father was a 13-time Pro Bowl receiver who also owns the NFL record in catches (1,549) and touchdown receptions (197). In seven games against Washington, Rice caught 41 passes for 686 yards and two touchdowns. In two playoff games against Washington, Rice caught a combined 12 passes for 156 yards and one touchdown.
