The third week of the NFL season kicks off tonight with the New England Patriots hosting the Houston Texans, and there's plenty of buzz circling around the league ahead of this weekend's games. The injury bug has already hit several teams hard, and teams are scrambling to find ways to replace those injured players. Check out the latest NFL news and rumors below.
Potential Ray Rice return?
Former Baltimore Ravens running back Ray Rice has been out of the league since he was released and suspended indefinitely by the NFL after video was released of him striking his now-wife, and he has trying to make a return since then. Many don't believe that will happen, but ProFootballTalk's Mike Florio reports that if Rice is going to make a comeback, it's going to be this year:
Gone and largely forgotten for two years, there’s supposedly a “real belief that Ray Rice has a real chance” to get back into the NFL this season.
However real the chance is, it’s getting more real ever, especially after a Sunday that entailed a rash of running back injuries. From Adrian Peterson of the Vikings to Doug Martin of the Buccaneers to Ameer Abdullah of the Lions to Danny Woodhead of the Chargers to Jonathan Stewart of the Panthers to Thomas Rawls of the Seahawks to Arian Foster of the Dolphins to Rashad Jennings of the Giants, guys at the most physically demanding position on the field are getting banged up, which will bump up the list of potential free-agent additions guys like Rice.
Some teams will opt for a next-man-up approach, backfilling with young, cheap running backs who will play special teams. At some point, however, a team will decide to bring a new man in, and at some point that new man could be Rice.
The Detroit Lions reportedly had "serious internal discussions" about adding Rice this week, but decided against it.
Rice last played in 2013, in which he rushed for 660 yards and four touchdowns on 214 carries in 15 games.
Gronk to make season debut tonight
Rob Gronkowski has missed New England's first two games with a hamstring injury, but he has been telling teammates that he expects to make his season debut tonight, according to Ben Volin of the Boston Globe.
The Patriots plan to start rookie Jacoby Brissett in the game as Jimmy Garoppolo is dealing with a shoulder injury, and having Gronkowski on the field would obviously make Brissett's job easier.
Charles unlikely to play Sunday
Kansas City Chiefs running back Jamaal Charles was also hoping to make his season debut this weekend, but that doesn't appear to be likely, according to ESPN's Adam Teicher.
The Kansas City Chiefs didn’t rule it out, but the signs are discouraging for running back Jamaal Charles to make his long-awaited return on Sunday against the New York Jets at Arrowhead Stadium.
Coach Andy Reid said Charles would work predominantly with the scout team, the group of players that runs the offensive plays of the upcoming opponent for the benefit of the Chiefs’ defense.
“He’s improving by the day,’’ Reid said. “We’ll just keep him going and see how he does this week. He’s chomping at the bit wanting to play, which I love about him. I just want to make sure we’re good there when the time comes.
“I think the longer you can wait with him, the better it is, even though he probably thought he can play today or tomorrow. We’ll see how this week goes. Another week I think is going to help him.’’
Charles hasn't played since tearing his ACL in October against the Bears. Spencer Ware and Charcandrick West have been filling in for him and are playing well, which is allowing the Chiefs to be more cautious with Charles' return.
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