NFL Rumors: Reggie Bush To Sign With Buffalo Bills During Free Agency?
Reggie Bush’s 2015 season with the San Francisco 49ers was cut short after he tore his ACL by slipping on some concrete that surrounds the Edward Jones Dome field in St. Louis. Bush has since sued the city of St. Louis, who owns the stadium, but there’s been no verdict in the case to this point. Back in March, TMZ reported that the city filed documents in the case that stated the Reggie’s injury was his own fault.
The city of St. Louis says Bush could have “stopped, slackened his speed to have avoided the accident.”
“[Bush] assumed the risk of running on concrete in shoes with cleats on them, and of all danger inherent of playing football.”
Look at this clip of the incident and judge for yourself if Reggie could’ve slowed down after being pushed by a defender.
Because of his injury, Reggie only appeared in five games for the 49ers in 2015 and accumulated eight carries for 28 yards and four catches for 19 yards. Reggie Bush is 31 and has had his fair share of health problems over the years, but that hasn’t stopped Reggie from getting interest from NFL teams in search of running back help, and one team in particular — the Buffalo Bills.
According to Jason La Canfora of CBS Sports, the Bills are the favorites to land Reggie Bush after the team has gone through a number of offseason issues with its running backs. Starter LeSean McCoy got in a scuffle with an off-duty police officer at a Philadelphia nightclub back in February, but luckily will not face charges for the incident.
Just posted my full thoughts on the #Bills reported interest in RB Reggie Bush. At the bottom of the story here: https://t.co/1TollVTRhN
— Joe Buscaglia (@JoeBuscaglia) July 18, 2016
Backup Karlos Williams showed up to Bills’ mini-camp overweight, blaming it on his wife’s pregnancy. Williams then was suspended by the NFL for the first four games of the 2016 season for a violation of the NFL Policy and Program for Substances of Abuse.
To put the cherry on top, the Bills’ fifth-round pick Jonathan Williams was arrested on Thursday for suspicion of driving while intoxicated. According to SB Nation, Williams will most definitely receive a two-game suspension, but he likely won’t have to serve the suspension until the 2017 season, as Roger Goodell has shown an affinity for letting the legal process play out prior to handing out a suspension.
The only other running backs on the Bills’ roster currently are Mike Gillislee, James Wilder Jr., and Dan Herron. Gillislee showed well last season for the Bills as he averaged 5.7 YPC on 47 carries, but it remains to be seen whether he can repeat that same production two years in a row. Wilder is an undrafted free agent out of Florida State and Herron is a journeyman who the Bills got from the Colts in a trade in 2015.
Bills have made an offer to free-agent RB Reggie Bush, @RapSheet reports https://t.co/7RDqDCRi9n pic.twitter.com/Sm6jzywP71
— Around The NFL (@AroundTheNFL) July 18, 2016
Adding a player like Bush, assuming Reggie’s healthy, would give the Bills some veteran depth until Karlos Williams returns from his suspension. There’s a solid chance that Gillislee will beat out Reggie Bush for the backup role in training camp, but the Bills could still develop a package for Reggie as he’s a brilliant receiver. The team could also use Bush in the return game as his blazing speed and elusiveness is second to none.
In the end, signing a guy like Reggie would give the Bills a low-risk, potentially high-upside option in the backfield to fill in until Williams returns. If Bush shows up to training camp and isn’t the same player, then the Bills will cut him before the regular season. But if Reggie Bush can show the same burst that we’ve come to know for years, then Buffalo could be getting a steal for the 2016 season.
[Photo by Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images]
