The Sports Xchange

Cleveland Browns owner Jimmy Haslam thinks running back Ray Rice deserves another shot in the NFL, but his team is not ready to make a move to sign him.

Haslam told his football staff that he would be OK with bringing in Rice as long as there is a need.

“Right now, I’d say it’s all premature in my mind,” Browns general manager Ray Farmer said. “We’re interested in seeing what our young guys can do. Focused on them. Giving them the opportunity to demonstrate whether they can or they can’t.

“I think we’ve got some talented young guys. Ray’s had his career. We kind of know what he is. We think we know. There’s a lot of tape.”

The Browns’ young backs include second-year players Terrance West and Isaiah Crowell and rookie Duke Johnson.

Browns coach Mike Pettine and Farmer acknowledged that Rice’s name has been mentioned in personnel discussions.

“But like everybody else’s name. Like Pierre Thomas,” Farmer said. “There’s a bunch of guys whose names have come up.”

Rice’s last game action came during the 2013 season with the Baltimore Ravens when he rushed for 660 yards on 214 carries in 15 games. The 28-year-old did not play last year after his suspension for striking his then-girlfriend, Janay, and subsequent release by the Ravens.

Meanwhile, Houston Texans owner Bob McNair is leery of signing Rice despite an apparent need at running back with Arian Foster lost for several weeks because of an injury.

“I think I’d want to talk with our players, and I don’t know that that’s something that they would like,” McNair said. “We want people that fit in our locker room. As I said, it’s all about teamwork. And look, we’ve got four good running backs.

“I don’t know that he’s as good as any of the four we’ve got. I don’t see anybody else trying to sign him, so I think that’s a pretty good indication of where he stands.”