Newly signed San Francisco 49ers’ running back Reggie Bush is coming off of a terrible season where he posted only 297 rushing yards and two touchdowns in 11 games.
It now appears the 49ers believe Bush is an every-down back in the NFL. According to head coach Jim Tomsula, that could be the plan. The first-year head coach had this to say about the 30-year-old running back (via Pro Football Talk).
Reggie can be an every down back. He’s done that in the NFL. He’s a running back. He’s not a gadget guy in my opinion. I think Reggie Bush is a running back. I’m really excited about Reggie joining the crew.
Even though Tomsula speaks highly on Bush, the team still has second-year running back Carlos Hyde as well as Kendall Hunter, who will be returning from a torn ACL.
Tomsula also commented on the trio:
Right now we’ve got three guys in the backfield that we feel great about, they’re all just a little different from each other. So as we get rolling here and we throw that ball out on the field, let’s take a look at what each guy does and build off that.
Bush’s best season in terms of workload came with the Miami Dolphins in 2012. He recorded his highest amount of carries (227) and averaged 16.4 touches per game. Those aren’t exactly numbers that indicate Bush is prepared to shoulder the load, especially at the age of 30.
Where Bush can be useful and can excel is at pass-catching, as he has totaled 3,489 receiving yards off of 466 catches over his nine-year career. The interesting dynamic here is that’s where San Francisco’s offense has struggled over the years. Tomsula and company are also prepared to make the screen game a bigger part of what they do in 2015.
It’s likely that all three backs will take turns receiving first-team reps during offseason activities and training camp. However, the belief has to be that Hyde will be the one starting when Week 1 comes calling.
Photo: USA Today