Would Reggie Bush Fit With the Patriots?
With the news of Reggie Bush being released by the Detroit Lions on Thursday, naturally questions started being asked, if Shane Vereen does indeed leave the Patriots via free agency would Bush be a fit in the New England offense and would the Patriots even be interested?
Bush was the highly hyped running back from USC when he entered the NFL draft back in 2006. The Niners and Texans at the end of the 2005 season, two of the worst teams that season, played in the “Bush Bowl” as the loser would get the opportunity to draft Bush first in the 2006 NFL Draft.
Houston would indeed get the first pick but opted to draft DL Mario Williams. The Saints picking second, selected Bush and played four seasons with New Orleans, winning a Super Bowl in 2009 before moving on to both the Dolphins and the Lions.
In 2014 Bush finished with only 297 yards on 76 carries with two touchdowns, and only 253 receiving yards. He suffered an ankle in Week 5 against the Bills, and then re-aggravated in Week 10 against the Dolphins. It was his least productive campaign since the 2010 season and the question that must be asked is the wear and tear on a soon to be 30-year old running back beginning to show?
It should be noted however that when healthy in 2013 with the Lions, Bush had 223 carries for 1,006 yards, (4.5 YPA), 4 touchdowns. He added 54 receptions, 506 receiving yards, (9.4 YPC), 3 touchdowns with 10 plays rushing and receiving of over 20 yards.
Bush has always been best when he can get the ball out in space and in the open field can still be effective. His best seasons were when he was used effectively as primarily a receiver catching 50-plus balls per year, and breaking off big gains as a punt returner. As a complimentary back rather than a featured one would be his best fit, not only in New England but anywhere.
Mike Reiss wrote a nice approach, while Chris Price and Ryan Hannable from WEEI took a look at Washington RB Roy Helu among others here:
So would the Patriots be interested?
Why Bush to New England makes sense: Bush has excelled in the third-down back type roll and in space is still a dangerous player. With LaGarrette Blount, Jonas Gray as well as newcomers Tyler Gaffney and Dion Lewis in the mix, he wouldn’t be called upon to rush the ball very much, just more of a keeping the defense honest type situations. He and Vereen are similar type players and each has been effective out of the backfield. Vereen has 99 catches the past two seasons while Bush has 94.
The Patriots have used this approach in the past taking in veteran running backs Corey Dillon, Fred Taylor and Joseph Addai with varying degrees of success. But they wouldn’t be shy about pulling the trigger again especially if it becomes clear that Vereen won’t be re-signed.
Money. Unlike a few years ago, the 2015 version of Bush, while certain to draw plenty of interest, probably won’t be commanding the big bucks on the free agent market. He was a $5.2 million and a $5.8 million dollar cap hit against the Lions the next two seasons and for a running back turning 30 on March 2, (he and Vereen share a birthday), he’s reaching the age where his returns will be diminishing. He’d probably get less than half of that cap amount with the Patriots.
From a Patriots perspective, coaches Brian Daboll and Dave DeGuglielmo have coached Bush in 2011 with the Dolphins. And as Reiss pointed out, any time a player has a history with a member of the coaching staff, and that history is a productive one, it is notable.
Why Bush Doesn’t Make Sense for New England: Value, while Vereen is expected to draw between $4-5 million dollars a year on the free agency market, is saving half that amount (around $2 million), worth it considering Vereen is already an integral part of the offense and fits perfectly in his role? The team would obviously rather have Vereen back given a head-to-head comparison.
Would Bush accept a lesser role in New England? It’s a question that must be asked. Because with the Patriots, he’d be far from a featured weapon in the Patriots offense and at times, as we’ve seen in their game plan specific offense, he’d be nothing more than an after-thought. For a guy that once dated the over-hyped and over-exposed Kim Kardashian, it may not be a great fit with the lunch pail crew of Bill Belichick.
Former Saints running backs coach Aaron Kromer, who spent three years with Bush in New Orleans, is now the offensive line coach in Buffalo with the Bills. The Bills who may lose C.J. Spiller in free agency could really use a running back that can operate in space. The Giants, Colts and Raiders could all be looking hard at Bush also.
Bottom Line: While the Patriots will do their normal “due diligence” on any free agent and their potential fit with New England, I think they’ll pass here. Would it be a shocker if they did sign Bush? No, but I do think they will look elsewhere.
As WEEI pointed out in their piece, Helu is also a good pass catcher out of the backfield and like Vereen is only going to be 26 this season. That is the prime age for running backs and Bush at 30 with a lot of wear and tear on his body can’t be expected to be as effective as he was a few years ago.
Also working against the team signing Bush is the fact that they have James White already on the roster; White was drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft from Wisconsin. And with a deep class of running backs available in this year’s draft, many of whom are very good at catching the ball out of the backfield, younger, less expensive options are very available for the team to find a fit.
With free agency right around the corner, things are heating up and these type scenarios make the end of winter more bearable until the inevitable signings occur and the draft takes over….Stay tuned.
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