Detroit Lions Release Running Back Reggie Bush

Wednesday afternoon, the Detroit Lions announced that they had released running back Reggie Bush. Bush, the former New Orleans Saint and Miami Dolphin, spent the past couple seasons in Detroit serving as a dynamic, do it all running back. His ability to both run and catch out of the backfield served the Lions well and added a nice balance to the lethal combination known as Matthew Stafford and Calvin Johnson.

Bush was once a college standout at the University of Southern California. He won the 2005 Heisman Trophy and was part of the 2004 USC Trojans national title team. His career would later take a downfall once it was discovered he was given illegal benefits at the college level. His actions caused USC to vacate their 2004 national title and Bush became the first Heisman Trophy winner ever to have to give back his award because of NCAA infractions.

Bush was the second pick in the 2006 NFL Draft by the New Orleans Saints. Leading up to the 2006 draft, Bush was the undisputed number one overall prospect among a class of historically great college players.

The Houston Texans pulled one of the most shocking moves ever in NFL Draft history when the night before the 2006 NFL Draft Houston announced they were selecting North Carolina State defensive end Mario Williams, instead of Bush.

This opened up the opportunity for the New Orleans Saints, with the number two pick, to take Bush and change the future of their franchise. Bush was a star in New Orleans, but never really lived up to the expectations most had for him while he was at USC. Bush brought an excitement to New Orleans in a time they really needed it because of the tragedy that was Hurricane Katrina.

Bush helped lead New Orleans to the Super Bowl following the 2009 season. He served as that “do it all” running back that helped in the return game and a reliable receiver out of the backfield, while also providing his fair share of electric runs out of the backfield.

Bush then had a short stint with the Dolphins before moving on to the Detroit Lions. The Lions were hoping Bush would bring the city of Detroit that elusive Super Bowl just as he did for the New Orleans Saints. That was never the case obviously and instead, he has been released only to be wondered what comes next for the once explosive Reggie Bush.

Bush will be sought after by multiple teams now that he is a free agent and certainly can serve as a great piece to the puzzle for some team in the NFL. His experience, more than anything at this point in his career, will serve some team close to making the playoffs well in 2015.

I believe he is still a great asset to have because of that experience and game breaking ability at certain times. I feel a team like the Kansas City Chiefs would be a great place for Bush because of the Chiefs’ lack of offensive explosion at times.

Another place Bush would really be able to utilize his talents would be with the Philadelphia Eagles. The Eagles’ college like offense would be the perfect fit for Bush, but the issue is the Eagles already have Shady McCoy and Darren Sproles at the running back position.

Bush will find a home in 2015 and will help someone with his unique style of play. It has been a rollercoaster ride of a career in the NFL for Bush and Wednesday, that rollercoaster took a major downslide.