With one of Ray Rice's two primary suitors spitting out seemingly perfectly good running backs, the focus of his return resumes in Cleveland.
Browns coach Mike Pettine told the media that the topic of "running back likely will be one of the first topics discussed" on Sunday - one week before the Sept. 12 season opener, NJ.com reported.
Viral Ray Rice Video May Have Led To Women Being Hired On To Pro Sports' Staffs
"We'll see where the conversation takes us," Pettine said.
When asked specifically about the possibility of adding the controversial Rice, Pettine replied, "If we do come to the decision that we need to add a back that is not here, we'll look at the list of backs that are available."
Banged-Up Buffalo Bills May Have Most Interest In Ray Rice
As NJ.com astutely noted, Pettine did not say "no" in response to Rice.
The Bills, who have had injury issues at running back, surprisingly cut veteran Fred Jackson, which sent a message that they likely would not pursue Rice as some had believed.
Sporting News reported that Jackson would be a much better fit for the Browns than Rice, pointing out that Rice has more mileage, thanks to his 1,799 career touches, compared to the 1,599 touches Jackson has during his career.
However, ESPN reported that Jackson had taken a physical with the Seahawks, although no deal had been reached.
In addition, the 34-year-old Jackson is six years older than Rice. Rice had a subpar 2013 with just 610 rushing yards but had lost 15 pounds in the offseason to try to be faster off the line of scrimmage last season before videos of him hitting his then-fiancée surfaced and the Ravens cut him.
Rice has avoided any sort of football contact for more than a year. It may be an apples-to-oranges comparison, but look what a year off did for Alex Rodriguez's baseball career.
The Browns seem to be back as the front-runners for Rice's services, based on his relationship with RBs coach Wilbert Montgomery, who coached him in Baltimore.
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