With more and more (and more) running backs getting injured in the first two weeks of the 2016 regular season, the name “Ray Rice” may be moving higher and higher up the list of available free agents at the position.
One team with connections to Rice is the Lions. Coach Jim Caldwell won a Super Bowl there as offensive coordinator with Rice as the starting tailback, and receiver Anquan Boldin was a member of that same team, as was defensive tackle Haloti Ngata.
On Wednesday, Jason McIntyre of TheBigLead.com and FS1 reported that the Lions are having “serious internal discussions” about adding Rice to the team. A source with direct knowledge of the team’s thinking on this matter, however, said the Lions won’t be signing Rice.
Despite any connections to Rice from his Ravens days, the Lions recently took heat for deviating from their “zero tolerance” policy regarding “domestic violence and dangerous weapons” by signing tight end Andrew Quarless. Although the team found a way to plausibly navigate the apparent inconsistency as to Quarless (who was recently cut), there’s no navigating around the video of Rice knocking out his then-fiancée.
The Lions recently brought in Joique Bell for a workout following an injury to Ameer Abdullah, who has been placed on injured reserve. Theo Riddick takes over as the starter during Abdullah’s absence; he can return in eight weeks.
