Ray Rice staying ready, waiting for next NFL opportunity

Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice is staying ready while he hopes to get another opportunity to play in the NFL.

Ray Rice has faced a tough road since the Baltimore Ravens released him in October of 2014. He was released due to a domestic incident in Atlantic City, New Jersey. While he and his fiance at the time (now wife) Janay Rice were at a casino, Rice knocked Janay out with a punch to the face in an elevator and was caught on camera dragging her from the elevator.

Rice is staying ready for his next NFL opportunity despite several factors working against him. He has not played a single down in the NFL since January of 2013. He had a horrible season in 2013, averaging just 3.1 yards per carry, the lowest of his career by almost a full yard. He is 28 years old, which is considered a bit old for a running back. He also carries the burden of being involved in a domestic violence case. Greg Hardy has not been well received by fans. Rice, unlike Hardy, was caught doing what he did on video.

Ray Rice is also doing his best to improve his reputation by doing even more community work than he usually does. He and his wife recently supplied cheerleaders in Baltimore with new jerseys. Even before the incident in Atlantic City, Rice was famous for being extremely involved in the city of Baltimore.

With multiple NFL teams wanting to improve their running game and wanting to have their running backs be an active part of their passing game, perhaps now might be the best chance yet for Rice to find another NFL opportunity. Rice has 369 receptions for 3,034 receiving yards in 92 career games.

He also has 6,180 rushing yards in 1,430 attempts, averaging 4.3 yards per carry during his career. Some team will have to decide that the benefits of having Ray Rice on their team outweigh the inevitable public outrage that would occur should he sign with an NFL team.