Ray Rice is once again circling the NFL wagon as opportunities arise for him to return to the league. Rice has been sitting on the free agent market as potentially the best player available and yet no one has made a move to acquire him. With time running out to get on a roster before 2015, are the Cleveland Browns his best shot at redemption?
The Cleveland Browns run game has yet to be an area the team can brag about despite the preseason hype in the unit. With Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell returning with rookie Duke Johnson, expectations were high and have yet to be met. Crowell and West are battling to start as neither running back is showing much consistency. Now that Johnson has a concussion, Rice could be on board.
According to the Cleveland Plain Dealer, Johnson suffered a concussion in his return game after nursing a hamstring injury. The rookie running back is expected to play a large role in the team's offense so losing him for any amount of time is critical for the Browns. Head coach Mike Pettine noted that they first want a ruling on how long Johnson is going to be out before the team seeks a roster addition, including Rice.
"We'll wait and see how long Duke is potentially out,'' said Pettine, via Cleveland.com. "We'll have a whole series of meetings this afternoon. We'll start with the defense first and when we get to the offense, I'll bet the running back will likely be one of the first topics discussed. We'll see where the conversation takes us."
The Browns are Rice's best shot considering his history with both Pettine and running back coach Wilbert Montgomery. As of right now, the Browns are the only team that have come out and said they would be willing to bring the running back on despite the expected media backlash that will take place as a result of him coming back into the NFL. West is leading the group with 78 yards in the preseason, but as a group the running backs are only averaging 2.8 yards per carry. That is not enough to get the job done with Josh McCown under center.
Of course there are plenty of free agent options. Pierre Thomas and Steven Jackson are available. Fred Jackson was just released by the Buffalo Bills. Rice does not have to be the player signed for help, but he is the only one the coaching staff seems to discuss.