Jamaal Charles’ knee injury on Sunday, which the Chiefs believe is a torn ACL, may signal the best opportunity yet for Ray Rice to return to the NFL. Rice’s name is apparently still toxic, but few teams can use his skill set like Kansas City.
Charles was the Chiefs’ entire offense, and while Rice is not even close to Charles in terms of ability right now, at one point they were peers. Rice specifically fits the Chiefs because he is a dual threat, just like Charles. In 2013 Rice struggled mightily; he averaged just 3.1 yards per carry and finished the season with 660 yards. Before that, Rice was one of the premier backs in football in terms of yards from scrimmage.
Trent Richardson Gets Workout Before Rice
Rice peaked in 2011, when he scored 15 total touchdowns and eclipsed 2,000 total yards. From 2009 to 2012 Rice averaged 70 receptions and 610 yards in the passing game. Those totals were in addition to rushing for more than 1,200 yards and scoring eight rushing touchdowns. Rice was a monster, and running backs have bounced back from bad seasons in the past.
Rice’s legal woes are his biggest concern, but Greg Hardy recorded his first sack of the season for the Cowboys in Week 5, and it took ex-49ers defensive tackle Ray McDonald multiple domestic violence charges to get punted from the league. None of them suffer from Rice’s biggest problem though: his domestic assault was on camera.
Recent Greg Hardy Comments Help Ray Rice's Case
For now, the Chiefs are going with second-year running back Charcandrick West, an undrafted signee out of Abilene Christian, and Knile Davis, Charles’ primary backup since 2013. Davis has averaged 3.4 yards per carry in his career, so despite his physical tools, he doesn’t possess the upside of Rice.
The Bills preferred to work out Trent Richardson over Rice last week, so that could be a signal the NFL simply doesn’t want him around. If teams are searching for running backs who can produce, though, it’s hard to believe he isn’t worth a look.
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