The Detroit Lions ranked just 28th in the NFL this season in rushing yards per game at 88.9. As a result, it's fair to wonder about the future of Lions running back Reggie Bush, who has played a little Jekyll and Hyde routine over the last two seasons.
Bush set career highs in 2013 with 1,512 total yards and seven total touchdowns in 14 games. But this season was a much different story. Bush missed five games this year and combined for just 550 yards and two touchdowns. He also put up his worst yards per carry average (3.9) since 2008. With Bush turning 30-years-old this offseason -- a magic number of sorts for running back decline - and a history of injuries, the Lions will have to ask themselves if they want to bring him back next season.
"I think I have a lot left to give this game," Bush said Monday. "My body still feels pretty good, obviously with the exception of the injuries that I went through. But my body feels good, I don't feel worn down, I don't feel beat up as a running back.
"Nine years in this league can make you feel this way, but for me, I still feel pretty good, still feel pretty young so I'm planning on playing for a while."
There is no guaranteed money remaining on Bush's contract with Detroit. Still, it appears as if the team plans to keep Bush on the roster next year.
"The Lions have given no indication that they plan to cut Bush, something that would save them about $1.7 million in cap room," Dave Birkett of the Detroit Free Press wrote. "To the contrary, they actually restructured Bush's contract earlier this season, an exercise that delayed part of his cap hit and would seem to fly in the face of logic if a team was looking to move on from a player."
However, Bush's productivity compared to his salary could still play a factor in his status with the Lions going forward.
"The running back turns 30 this offseason and will be entering his 10th NFL season," ESPN's Mike Sando wrote. "Bush played a career-low 270 snaps this past season. He averaged 3.9 yards per carry and set career lows in some of the major statistical categories. Bush has a $3.25 million salary in 2015 and his salary cap figure jumps from just under $3 million to nearly $5.3 million. The team could save $3.5 million under the 2015 cap by releasing Bush and designating him a post-June 1 cut. Theo Riddick could be an appealing alternative. Drafting a running back also could be an option."
Bush has played a full 16 game schedule just twice in his career. Yet when healthy, he is still a dangerous pass-catching back. It remains to be seen definitively what the Lions will do.
