BlogVibe

The Detroit Lions released veteran running back Reggie Bush on Wednesday, bringing an abrupt end to the dynamic playmaker's two-year stint with the team.

Detroit won't be saving that much money, per Chris Burke of Sports Illustrated: 

Lions just don't have much wiggle room. They only get back $1.7 million on the $5.28 mil. Bush is due this season.

Bleacher Report NFL Analyst Chris Simms discussed Bush's best landing places:

Bush can split out wide and create matchup problems as a receiver better than most at his position. After he tried to create too many big plays as a runner, Bush reinvented himself in recent years by showing more willingness to pound the rock between the tackles.

Bush got off to a promising start in Detroit with a 1,000-yard rushing season. However, he battled a nagging ankle injury in playing 11 games in 2014, logging less than four yards per carry and being surpassed by Joique Bell on the depth chart. 

It is unclear whether Bell will emerge as the feature back, but youngster Theo Riddick proved he can catch the ball in his rookie season with 34 receptions in 2014. That presumably made Bush expendable to the Lions—even with two years remaining on his contract.

Days before the Super Bowl, retired NFL running back LaDainian Tomlinson explained how Bush is the main key to the Lions offense, via the Detroit Free Press' Dave Birkett:

I think (it's) Reggie. How good that team can be is dependent on how much Reggie is able to stay healthy. I think Joique (Bell) is an excellent running back, but I do think they need a change-of-pace guy with Joique. A guy that can catch it out of the backfield, a guy that can run on the perimeter a little bit faster around that corner. But their running game, I think they need a two-back system.

Detroit's decision is somewhat confounding in light of the team finishing 28th in rushing offense. The Lions also placed 21st in Football Outsiders' run-blocking rankings. Someone as elusive as Bush seems valuable to manufacture yards when defenders consistently shed blocks. 

The positives for Bush are that he's versatile and explosive, has plenty of experience under his belt and has been on a Super Bowl winner in New Orleans.

With his natural speed, pass-catching ability and a knack for making people miss, Bush should have little trouble finding at least a situational role with another team.

Bush will be 30 during the 2015 season, though—an ominous barrier for many modern backs, as production tends to decline. How much longer Bush can be effective depends on his health, because he has as much innate talent as any player at his position.

ncG1vNJzZmianJqupLTEq6meqJ%2BnwW%2BvzqZmmqqknrCtsdJoaWxuY2mEdHnRnp6goZVir7a%2Fx2apnqifp8GmsMuyZKudnJqutLHDZpmyZZyevK%2B%2FjKWYrZ2jqXqlsdOaoKWrXZi8rrnEp6usZZGjsW6%2BxJqaraGfow%3D%3D