Ray Rice wants a second chance in the NFL, but it remains to be seen if there is a team out there willing to give it to him. The former Baltimore Ravens running back is a free agent for the taking on the market with training camp approaching as he hopes a team will call with a roster spot waiting for him. With interest quiet around Rice and his future, will a team feel pressured for a ground-game upgrade and call the veteran?
According to ESPN's Ed Werder, Rice is stepping up his efforts to get a contract from an NFL team as training camp lingers. Rice has reportedly been initiating contract with NFL teams in hopes of putting on the pressure to give him a contract. At 28, Rice is technically the best running back on the market for any team in need of help, but he remains the most controversial player in the league after a video surfaced of him punching his then fiancé in an elevator.
Rice is getting some unlikely support "A Call To Men" an organization that encourages the end of violence towards women spoke out advocating on the running back getting a second chance in the league. They have been working with Rice since November and believes he deserves another look.
"We have been around a lot of abusive men, but our experience with Ray has been tremendously positive," co-founder Tony Porter said, via ESPN.com. "We feel strongly about him having the opportunity of having a second chance. He's deserving of it."
Earlier in the offseason, ESPN's John Clayton listed out teams that could be interested in giving Rice that publicized second chance and the Dallas Cowboys topped the list. The Cowboys lost NFL leading rusher DeMarco Murray and replaced him with the struggling Darren McFadden. While Jerry Jones is still very supportive of the former Arkansas star, there is no question that Rice would be an upgrade. The Cowboys have already shown a willingness to give players other chances as Greg Hardy, Randy Gregory and La'el Collins all got deals in Dallas.
The Cowboys have noted that they have a short-list of options should the tandem of McFadden and Joseph Randle not work out. According to the Dallas Morning News, team vice president Stephen Jones favors veterans for help over someone like Rice. Steven Jackson, Chris Johnson and Felix Jones have all been linked to Dallas. The Cowboys appear more likely to give them a chance over bringing on a high-profile player like Rice.
