Caldwell: Ray Rice is not a fit for Lions

PHOENIX -- The Detroit Lions have a hole at running back that they need to fill through the NFL draft or free agency, but coach Jim Caldwell said today that his former player Ray Rice is not a candidate to take that spot

"I don't foresee that, to be plain and simple," Caldwell said at the NFL owners meetings. "We certainly do know him and got to know him when we were there, and I think, at some point in time, like I had mentioned before, somebody will probably give him a second chance."

Caldwell spent two seasons with Rice with the Baltimore Ravens, when he was offensive coordinator and Rice was the team's starting running back.

The Ravens cut Rice last year, after video surfaced of him punching his then-fiancee in an elevator. He has been out of work since.

Caldwell called himself a "pretty hard-liner" when it comes to off-field issues, and the Lions mostly have shied away from players with character issues since their arrest-filled 2012 off-season.

"I just don't see it," Caldwell said of Rice playing for the Lions. "There has to be a need and a fit in all areas, and at this point in time, he's not a fit for us."

The Lions released Reggie Bush before the start of free agency and want to add another back to a group that includes Joique Bell, Theo Riddick and George Winn.

Most likely, they'll do that through the draft, which is deep at running back. The Lions already have hosted potential early round picks Todd Gurley and Tevin Coleman on predraft visits.

Contact Dave Birkett at dbirkett@freepress.com. Follow him on Twitter @davebirkett.