The injury-prone running back Reggie Bush visited with the Buffalo Bills on Monday and signed a one-year deal with them.
The contract did not immediately show the deal’s terms until Bush traveled to Buffalo’s training camp near Rochester. He went through a physical and passed. This will the fifth team he’s played for in his career.
Bush is entering his 11th season of his NFL career. Last season, his playing time was cut short with the San Francisco 49ers when he suffered a season-ending knee injury when he slipped on concrete that was present on the sidelines in the Edward Jones Dome in St. Louis. Bush only played five games rushing eight times for 28 yards with the 49ers in 2015.
The Bills averaged 4.8 yards per carry and had 19 rushing touchdowns. However, they had problems coughing up the ball and fumbled it nine times and converted on 122 first downs last season. They also averaged 152 rushing yards per game. The running game is a crucial part of their offense as they ran the ball more than 500 times last season.
Reggie Bush will join the backfield of Karlos Williams, LeSean McCoy and Mike Gillislee and Jonathan Williams. Williams, the Bills fifth-round draft pick last year, is suspended for the first four games of the season due to violating the NFL’s substance-abuse policy. It’s possibly one of the main reasons why Bush inked a one-year. Williams also missed three games last year after suffering a concussion against the New York Giants in Week 4.
Buffalo’s premier running back and shifty speed demon McCoy is expected limited participation in training camp after combatting ankle issues during minicamp. If his injury does not heal in a short duration, expect Bush to get a decent amount of carries along with Gillislee and maybe rookie Jonathan Williams, the Bills fifth-round draft pick out of Arkansas this year.
The Bills are looking for speed and versatility in the running game and Bush does have the skills to contribute that to Buffalo. It just depends on his health. Before tearing his ACL last year in St. Louis, he also has suffered a broken leg in a punt return when he was playing with the New Orleans Saints.
In 2012, Bush surpassed 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his NFL career. He played with the Miami Dolphins for two seasons. He played five seasons and won his only Super Bowl with the New Orleans Saints in 2009, two seasons with the Detroit Lions and one with the 49ers.
Bush,31, has 1,274 carries, 5,493 yards, 35 rushing touchdowns and 16 fumbles in his 10-year career.
