If Ray Rice is ever going to get back into the NFL, this may be his best chance.
The Browns, who have admitted to at least talking about the possibility of signing Rice, are now in the market for a running back. Coach Mike Pettine said today that the team might have to add a running back after injuries to Duke Johnson and Shaun Draughn.
Rice played for Browns running backs coach Wilbert Montgomery in Baltimore, and Pettine was also on the Ravens’ staff during Rice’s tenure there. And Browns owner Jimmy Haslam is on the record as saying that Rice deserves another shot.
So the Browns appear to be a team that is willing to deal with the off-field fallout of signing Rice, who became the poster boy for the NFL’s domestic violence problem last year. The next question is whether they think Rice can help them on the field.
Last year the Browns had one of the worst rushing attacks in the NFL, and if anything their running backs look even worse this preseason: The leading rusher, Terrance West, has just 78 yards on 22 carries, and overall the Browns’ running backs are averaging 2.8 yards a carry through three preseason games. So it would seem that Rice -- even though he averaged just 3.1 yards a carry in 2013 -- could be an improvement.
Which means that if the Browns aren’t willing to sign Rice, that probably means no NFL team is ever going to sign Rice.