Buffalo Bills Deny Possibility of Signing Ray Rice

It seems like almost every week, a storm in a teacup is made out of which hot young team is set to take a chance on vilified running back Ray Rice, formerly of the Baltimore Ravens. This week, it was the Buffalo Bills’ turn. But like every other suspect before them, the Bills vehemently denied any possibility of signing the fallen star.

Rumblings started almost immediately after LeSean McCoy went down with a hamstring injury during Buffalo’s final joint practice session with the Cleveland Browns ahead of their preseason encounter this Friday.

But following reports that McCoy is expected to suit up in time for the regular season opener against the Indianapolis Colts, any suspicions of signing Rice were quickly quashed.

Buffalo columnist Vic Carucci tweeted, “There is ‘zero’ chance Bills will sign Ray Rice,” citing a “team source.” Frankly, while Rice’s reprehensible actions alone should do a pretty effective job at ensuring he never appears on an NFL field again, there are other factors that will keep him out of pads too.

As much as the media would like it to be true, Rice is not some Adrian Peterson-esque diamond-in-the-rough whose actions are being closely monitored by a number of NFL franchises.

Before his indefinite suspension in July 2014, Rice was averaging a pitiful 3.1 yards per carry during the 2013 season, while both his receiving yards and total touchdowns were the lowest since his rookie season. Combine that with a calendar year out of the league, and this 28-year-old tailback’s potential doesn’t exactly capture the imagination.

With any luck, this latest denial of Rice’s involvement with a franchise – no matter how desperate – will be the last.