New England Patriots: Making the case for Reggie Bush

By Luis Tirado Jr. | Mar 1, 2015

The 2015 NFL Free Agency period will be upon us soon as an interesting name just hit the running back market. Reggie Bush was recently released by the Detroit Lions and will have plenty of teams inquiring about his services. Of course he’s not the player he one was but he still has the ability to be a dual-threat, much to what the New England Patriots love to have at running back. Could the Super Bowl champions have a need for Bush depending what happens with their current running back situation?

Shane Vereen is set to hit free agency this year as he was a big part of the Patriots championship run last season. Considering he’s entering the prime of his career entering next season at 26 years old, he will most likely want more money since the best has yet to come.

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The Patriots have always been the model of consistency when it comes to handling their players and possible free agents to be. They never really bend to secure talent, no matter how good they are if it conflicts with the benefit of improving the overall team.

Bush has a similar skill-set to Vereen in that he can be a good receiving option while also handling starting duties provided he’s healthy. Even though Bush would be 30 years old entering next season, he could be acquired for much less money to what Vereen will command and still see the same results.

I personally believe that Vereen will bolt via free agency since his stock hitting the market is relatively high. He’s consistently healthy and would provide a nice dimension on any offense he’s a part of since he brings so many attributes to the position.

Remember, the Patriots value more of what will make the team successful over what any individual brings to the table so it might not bode well for Vereen. Running backs come and go and since the NFL is a passing league, the Patriots will most likely emphasize on acquiring more targets for quarterback Tom Brady to continue his Hall of Fame career with the right talent around him.

If anything, Bush could be a much bigger threat as a receiver on certain offensive packages while giving the majority of rushing attempts to Jonas Gray and LeGarrette Blount. At the end of the day, Vereen is replaceable in the grand scheme of things if he feels he is worth more elsewhere.

Feb 1, 2015; Glendale, AZ, USA; New England Patriots running back Shane Vereen (34) makes a one handed catch in Super Bowl XLIX against the Seattle Seahawks at University of Phoenix Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Andrew Weber-USA TODAY Sports

Even though Bush comes with a history of being injury prone, bringing him in on a short-term deal could do wonders for his career. The Patriots tend to bring players in that have a history of injuries and put them on the right regimen to be put in a position to succeed.

If Vereen leaves via free agency, I can definitely see the Patriots going after a much inexpensive option in Bush since they can utilize him in the same role as Vereen and have him deliver nicely.

Plus you never know, once Bush puts on a Patriots uniform, just like many players have entering the final playing days of their careers, they tend to play pretty well thanks to being on one of the best teams the NFL has to offer.

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