It seems Ray Rice may finally be getting his chance to return to the NFL after all, thanks in large part to the injury suffered by new Buffalo Bills running back LeSean McCoy on Tuesday. Per a report from Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports, the Bills are having internal discussions on whether or not to sign Rice, the former Baltimore Ravens standout running back.
UPDATE, 11:35 AM: Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News is now reporting that team sources indicate there is "zero" chance the team signs Rice.
Rice, of course, has been free to sign with any team for months now after being reinstated by the league, but teams have done nothing more than sniff due to the, no doubt, crippling public relations hit that could come along with bringing him into the fold. Rice was arrested and subsequently suspended by NFL commissioner Roger Goodell after video surfaced of him striking his then-fiancee Janae Rice in an Atlantic City casino elevator in Feb. 2014.
McCoy, acquired from the Eagles earlier this offseason in exchange for linebacker Kiko Alonso, was expected to be the bell cow back for Bills head coach Rex Ryan and offensive coordinator Greg Roman's run-centric offense. He suffered a hamstring injury during Bills training camp practice on Tuesday, however, and the severity of the injury has apparently left Ryan and Co. concerned.
Ian Rapoport of NFL.com is reporting that while McCoy's injury was indeed severe enough to require an MRI and will likely keep him out of any further preseason action, he should be ready for Week One when the Bills square off against the Indianapolis Colts.
While McCoy is the biggest injury concern for the Bills, their running back depth chart has been absolutely decimated already just two weeks into training camp. Karlos Williams underwent a "sensitive" procedure, Fred Jackson injured his hamstring, Boobie Dixon his calf and Bryce Brown has been sidelined as well.
Rice, now 28, fell off greatly during 2013, his final full season. He managed just 660 yards rushing and four touchdowns on 214 attempts for a paltry 3.1 yard-per-carry average. While his domestic violence issue likely kept him out of any team's camp, his diminishing skills may have played a part as well.
