Former Ravens running back Ray Rice is an NFL free agent after his suspension was overturned and he is hoping for a second chance in the league and teams like the Chicago Bears, Indianapolis Colts, Detroit Lions, New Orleans Saints, Buffalo Bills, NY Jets, San Diego Chargers and Oakland Raiders could be interested in Rice, as those teams have various issues at the RB position.
According to ESPN.com, four teams have looked into Rice after he was reinstated to the NFL following his indefinite suspension and reports had the Saints and Colts as two of those teams. The Colts and Saints later came out to say they are not interested in signing Rice now, wghile the Arizona Cardinals also came out to say the same after they were connected to Rice. All three teams have dealt with injury issues at the RB position this season.
The Chicago Bears have a great running back in Matt Forte, but overall they have not been a great rushing team and they do not have much depth behind Forte. The Cardinals just lost Andre Ellington to an injury, but they have Marion Grice and just signed Michael Bush. The Saints have dealt with numerous injuries, but they feel comfortable with their stable of backs that includes Mark Ingram, Pierre Thomas, Khiry Robinson and Travaris Cadet.
The Cleveland Browns could be an option, as they have two young backs in Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell after getting rid of Ben Tate. The Colts lost Ahmad Bradshaw for the season and while Dan Herron and Trent Richardson have played well, the team could look at adding more. Rice doesn't appear to be an option now, but down the line when the media and public rage dies down, he could be worth signing for those teams.
Rice had his best season in 2011 and teams will be looking for that type of production if he returns to the league, but it's unlikely he does that. That season Rice ran for 1364 yards and 12 touchdowns and he added 76 catches for 704 yards and another three scores. Rice has been over 1000 yards four times in his career and over the past five seasons he has had at least 58 catches out of the backfield.
Rice has been declining over the past year after rushing for 1100 yards in 2012 and that is one reason why teams may give pause in signing him now. It's more likely that he signs this offseason, as the PR will be less glaring and it will also be less of a distraction with the season not currently going on. Playoff teams could consider Rice, but that would bring a ton of attention right now and coaches are not quick to do that when it's playoff time.
Rice averaged 3.1 yards per carry last season and rushed for only 660 yards, which was his lowest total since he was a rookie. Same goes for his TDs, carries overall and yards per game and now he is hoping to get a second chance. Rice is getting towards 30 and has had a year off from football activities and that means it could take time for him to get up to game speed. Rice may be worth the risk down the line, but right now the attention is not worth it for most teams.
