With all of the injuries taking place in the NFL this season, especially at the running back position, not one team has taken a look at Ray Rice. The former Baltimore Ravens star has been sitting out since his domestic violence incident while every other veteran has gotten some kind of workout from a team. Rice continues to be taboo in the NFL, but the running back is making it clear that he fully intends to make a comeback as he hopes to play in 2016.
Rice made an appearance on the Dan Patrick Show where he stressed his desire to play football again. The 28-year-old has not been looked at by a single team this year despite any rumors of the such, but he would like to sign with someone before the end of the year in hopes of continuing in 2016. Rice was cut from the Ravens in September of 2014 following a video that showed him punching his then-fiancee in the elevator of an Atlantic City casino. Rice has been trying to rebuild his image since in hopes of getting a second chance.
"I do want to play football again and I'm not ready to give up, Rice said, via the Dan Patrick Show."I have a lot of great relationships around the league ... but the conversations are all supportive. Nobody's pulled the trigger. ... I'll be honest, I told (my agent) to tell (teams) to call me when it's real."
There are certainly teams that have unsettled running back situations in both the short-term and long-term outlook. The Seattle Seahawks and New England Patriots suffered bad injury hits with Thomas Rawls and LeGarrette Blount being ruled out for the season. They are both playoff contenders and could use someone with fresh legs and a successful resume which Rice has. However, the Seahawks opted to bring on Christine Michael and Bryce Brown while the New England Patriots signed Montee Ball and have worked out Steven Jackson. The Denver Broncos are dealing with an injury to CJ Anderson. While they have Ronnie Hillman as a backup, adding someone else is not a bad idea.
The Dallas Cowboys could always be viewed as an option for a future contract. The team failed to successfully replace DeMarco Murray for the year. Darren McFadden has been slightly above average while injuries to Lance Dunbar and the release of Joseph Randle set the team back. Team owner Jerry Jones has shown he is not afraid of taking on a challenge, but a roster with both Rice and Greg Hardy seems like a media disaster. The Houston Texans could look at him as they potentially move on from Arian Foster while Matt Forte could be out in Chicago.
Any team that signs Rice would be taking a huge leap of faith. The last time he was on the field, he barely averaged above three yards per carry. There is also the PR aspect of bringing him on to a team. Rice made it clear he is not giving up, but has the NFL given up on him?
