The New Orleans Saints were awarded linebacker Monty Rice on Wednesday after claiming the former James Clemens High School standout off the NFL’s waiver wire.

The Tennessee Titans waived Rice on Tuesday after he’d played in the first 12 games of 2023, his third season with the team.

“It just didn’t work out,” Titans coach Mike Vrabel said on Wednesday about Tennessee’s transaction. “I’m sure Monty will go on and have another opportunity. We’ll give other guys opportunities here.”

Rice will get his opportunity in New Orleans, which placed starting safety Marcus Maye and reserve defensive tackle Malcolm Roach on injured reserve on Wednesday.

Rice had made 26 tackles while appearing for 86 defensive snaps and 184 special-teams plays for the Titans in 2023.

Demario Davis and Pete Werner have been the Saints’ primary linebackers this season with 756 and 673 defensive snaps, respectively. The No. 3 linebacker, Zach Baun, has played 179 defensive snaps while leading New Orleans with 280 special-teams plays.

A third-round draft choice from Georgia in 2021, Rice played in 10 games, with four starts, before an Achilles tendon injury caused him to miss the final five games of his rookie season and delayed his start to the 2022 campaign as he spent the first four games on reserve/physically unable to perform.

Injuries to the Titans’ inside-linebacker starters Zach Cunningham and David Long opened an opportunity for more playing time once Rice returned last season. In 2022, Rice started six games and made 66 tackles while playing 366 defensive snaps in 13 games.

In the final five games last season, Rice had 47 tackles and 268 defensive snaps. But this season, Azeez Al-Shaair with 761 snaps and Jack Gibbens with 522 have gotten most of the work at inside linebacker for Tennessee. Al-Shaair joined the Titans as a free agent in the offseason. Gibbens is in his second season after making the Tennessee roster as an undrafted rookie last season.

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Mark Inabinett is a sports reporter for Alabama Media Group. Follow him on Twitter at @AMarkG1.