The Chiefs might look into adding some running back reinforcements now that Jamaal Charles is done for the season, but it doesn’t appear that they’re considering the most notable name out there. Former Ravens running back Ray Rice hasn’t been invited to try out or visit NFL teams at this time, sources tell Aaron Wilson of the National Football Post.
Rice has met all of his legal obligations with New Jersey authorities following his incident, but NFL owners have not signed off on bringing the disgraced running back in for a look. Rice, of course, comes with tons of baggage and it doesn’t help his case that the last time he saw the field, in 2013, he looked pretty bad. The Rutgers product had a miserable season in Baltimore, averaging just 3.1 yard per rush on 214 carries, and 5.5 yards per reception on 58 catches.
The former second-round pick was one of the more dynamic playmakers in the league in the early stages of his career, piling up over 2,000 yards from scrimmage in 2009 and 2011 and scoring 43 total touchdowns in a Ravens uniform. Outside of his rookie campaign, in which he was the third option in a three-man backfield, he never caught fewer than 58 passes in a season, and he holds a career 4.3 yards per carry average.
I’ll be surprised if Rice ever plays in the league again. His performance fell off a cliff two years ago before his heinous off-field incident came to light. Combine the two and there’s no reason for anyone to sign him. Bad/mediocre RBs without baggage are easy to find. Why would a team bother with a bad/mediocre RB who’s also a PR nightmare?