Buffalo Bills: Reggie Bush is the only option anyway
Whenever an over-the-hill veteran with a big name is linked to an NFL team, the news tends to elicit more strong reactions than it should. Reports indicating that the Buffalo Bills have significant interest in running back Reggie Bush most definitely fall under this category.
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A few days ago, CBS Sports’s Jason La Canfora tweeted that he “would be very surprised” if the Buffalo Bills didn’t call up Reggie Bush with interest. This came after Karlos Williams‘s four-game suspension, along with rookie back Jonathan Williams facing league discipline after being arrested for a DWI.
Today, the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport relays that the Bills interest in Bush is real enough to amount to an offer. In June, Bush said that two teams showed interest in signing him, but he’s probably looking at a one-year minimum deal with modest incentives.
As usual, many people on Twitter are reacting to the news by poking fun at the Bills and Rex Ryan, but the reality is that they don’t have a choice.
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If Jonathan joins Karlos on the suspended list, then the Bills are looking at LeSean McCoy, Mike Gillislee, James Wilder Jr., and Dan Herron as their main running backs.
You might think to yourself, “That’s not so bad,” but it probably is to the Bills. None of those players strike me as great third-down options in the passing game. Herron fumbles too often, and Wilder is an unknown. McCoy is an amazing back and Gillislee is definitely underrated, but that’s not enough for Buffalo.
There’s a reason why the Bills were second in the NFL in rushing attempts last season; this is a team built on the ground game. They want to run the ball with optimal efficiency, use a variety of different rushing styles, and use their weapons in the backfield to overcome their lack of depth at wide receiver. All of this becomes even more important if Sammy Watkins suffers a major injury, since counting on the likes of Robert Woods, Leonard Hankerson, and Kolby Listenbee to be consistent is risky.
So why Bush instead of Arian Foster, who seems to be a more popular pick?
Money and role. Bush is going to be cheaper. But more importantly, the Bills aren’t interested in signing a player who wants to be a three-down back, because Foster profiles as more than just a three-down back. He’d rather have a role as, say, a member of a 1-2 punch to Jay Ajayi, as opposed to being a situational RB in Buffalo.
Toby Gerhart, Joique Bell, and Anthony Dixon. Those are the other three options for the Bills at the running back position, and I highly doubt this is a team interested in adding a plodder into the mix. If they want to take a mulligan on an inefficient veteran back, then someone with at least a semblance of juice is the better bet.
Bush has been horrendous in his last two seasons and probably wouldn’t help the Bills, but he’s the only option they have. On the bright side, he did catch 40 passes in his last “full” season in 2014 with the Detroit Lions, so he can help Tyrod Taylor in the passing game, which is more important than anything other backs could feasibly offer at this stage.
As a 31-year-old change-of-pace back who would figure to get some modest third-down work, Bush will command money so insignificant that failure on his end wouldn’t be met with disappointment from the Bills.
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You can make fun of the Bills all you want, but the truth is that there would be absolutely no harm in signing Bush. The potential returns are merely modest, but there’s no veteran back in free agency who can safely offer what Buffalo is looking for in a running back.