Report: 'Zero chance' Buffalo Bills sign Ray Rice
There is “zero chance” the Buffalo Bills will sign former Ravens running back Ray Rice, reports Vic Carucci of the Buffalo News.
Earlier on Wednesday, Mike Garafolo of Fox Sports reported that the Bills had discussed whether to sign Rice after LeSean McCoy sustained a hamstring injury on Tuesday.
After McCoy underwent an MRI, the team determined he would not miss significant time and would be ready to play by Week 1 of the regular season, making the addition of Rice seemingly unnecessary.
Rice was suspended indefinitely by the NFL and cut by the Ravens after TMZ published video of him hitting his then-fiancee in an elevator. Rice, who had initially been suspended for only two games, won his appeal and was reinstated. Rice has said he wants to play again.
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When NBC Sports Radio asked Bills coach Rex Ryan last Friday whether he would be open to signing Rice, he said he wouldn't even consider it because of the depth of the Bills' backfield.
“I was with Ray in Baltimore [and] I really liked him when I was there,” Ryan said. “We don’t have any interest and we never went into great detail about it because of the type of depth that we have at running back.”
But by the end of Tuesday's practice, undrafted rookies Bronson Hill and Ricky Seale were the only healthy running backs remaining for the Bills. Fred Jackson, Boobie Dixon, Bryce Brown and Karlos Williams were all unavailable with various injuries. That depletion reportedly has led Buffalo to consider other options, including Rice.
Rice had the worst season of his career in 2013, averaging 44 yards per game with 58 receptions. He was previously selected to three Pro Bowls, including for the 2012 season, which culminated in a Super Bowl win for the Ravens.
The Browns have also considered signing Rice.
- Erin Flynn