Into his 11th NFL season, the road for Reggie Bush in this league might be coming to an end, as the Buffalo Bills are close to releasing the former Heisman trophy winner.
Bush has a total of 3 rushed and -4 yards in his two games this season. With that kind of production, it’s no surprise he’s fallen down the running back depth chart. The Bills have LeSean McCoy who is the #1 guy, with Mike Gillislee now the number 2 back, although Tyrod Taylor takes a lot of the carries himself, being the second leading rusher on the team at the moment.
This shouldn’t be too surprising when it comes to Bush’s inability to have any effect on the football field. Rex Ryan has said he would like to use Bush as a slot receiver but so far hasn’t been able to, and even that might not be enough to save his NFL career. Bush was used for his passing skills quite a lot when he played for the Saints and in Detroit, but in 2015 in San Francisco and now with the Bills, he hasn’t been useful doing anything.
In 2013, Bush rushed for 1006 yards, completing three seasons with 3078 rushing yards and 16 touchdowns. He also caught 54 passes for 506 yards that season for the Lions, but in 2014 his injuries got the best of him, and his production and time on the field took a massive hit. In 2015, he had only 28 rushing yards for the 49ers, while adding 19 receiving yards, having a total of 12 touches in the five games he played for them. This season he’s simply bottoming out.
Bush was the second overall pick in the 2006 draft, spending the five seasons of his career with the Saints, being part of their Super Bowl triumph in 2009. He then played two seasons with the Dolphins, before joining the Lions for a couple of seasons. He didn’t live up to the promise of his USC days, showing to be more of a finesse back, which limited his usefulness on the field as a ball carrier, but he made up for it through his receiving abilities. But the injuries and age have caught up with him. Once the Bills cut him, it’s probably all over for him in the NFL.