Ray Rice is hearing no more than yes despite getting reinstated back into the NFL. While with the Baltimore Ravens, Rice was deemed one of the best running backs in the NFL outside of Adrian Peterson. However, a steep fall from grace has a number of teams turning down the opportunity to bring him on for a late-season run to the playoffs. Will Rice be granted that second chance he is hoping for?
The Arizona Cardinals are the latest team to deny any interest in Rice. The Cardinals are in the hunt for the playoffs, but recent struggles with injuries have them falling out of contention quickly. The team is currently dealing with uncertainty around starting running back Andre Ellington who is dealing with a hip pointer. This comes after the team lost Jonathan Dwyer who was arrested back in September for suspicion of domestic violence. The running back pleaded not guilty, but the Cardinals are not playing him.
However, according to Azcentral.com via ESPN's Ed Werder, Rice is not an option to help the struggling ground game. Instead, head coach Bruce Arians will operate under the "next man up" policy while Dwyer gets healthy. Outside of Dwyer, the team has Stepfan Taylor who has just 83 yards on the season off 25 carries. Werder reports that even if Dwyer were to miss the game against the Kansas City Chiefs, the Cardinals will not be looking towards Rice for help.
The Detroit Lions have said the same thing. The team is in contention for the postseason and dealing with injuries to the running back position. Reggie Bush has been on and off the field while dealing with an ankle issue. Joique Bell and Theo Riddick have been handling the work load going forward which may or may not be enough. However, the Detroit Free Press is reporting that head coach Jim Caldwell told the media the Lions would not be bringing on Rice for the final games of the season.
Even the struggles of Trent Richardson were not enough to get the Indianapolis Colts to show interest in Rice. They have just Richardson and inconsistent Dan Herron to work with while seeking another playoff berth. The Saints need help to regain control of the NFC South and injuries to Pierre Thomas and Khiry Robinson still have the team denying Rice is an option. For now it appears the running back will be on the outside looking in until possibly free agency in 2015.