Instant Analysis: Reggie Bush traded to Miami

Ken Kelly

bush

Reggie Bush has moved on and is taking his talents to South Beach as the Saints have agreed to trade him to the Miami Dolphins.  It’s a sad end to an era in New Orleans, but a fresh start that Bush badly needed.  This move has significant impact in both free agency and in dynasty leagues.  Let’s examine the parties involved and the value changes we see in the latest edition of “Instant Analysis.”

Reggie Bush, RB MIA
When Bush came out of USC in 2006, he was billed as the greatest offensive prospect of the last decade.  His five year totals of 2,090 rushing yards, 17 touchdowns, 294 catches, 2,142 receiving yards and 12 receiving touchdowns are a far cry from dominance. Bush struggled to live up to the billing due to a combination of a reluctance to run between the tackles and an unfortunate string of significant injuries.

After the Saints drafted Mark Ingram and re-signed Pierre Thomas, the writing was on the wall.  Bush said all the right things about wanting to stay in New Orleans, but he was going to be a highly priced decoy had he stayed.  It simply wasn’t going to work.

In Miami, Bush gets himself a new lease on life.  The Dolphins have their own talented rookie in Daniel Thomas, but Bush should find a way to carve himself a nice role on offense.  He was said to be wanting a promise from a new team for 12-15 touches per game.  It remains to be seen if that actually happens, but it’s not out of the realm of possibilities.

Bush can be rostered in a dynasty league, but as no more than a RB3 in a PPR league.  He’s still going to be a niche player, so temper your expectations.  If you think he’s going to be the sole featured back, you’re going to be highly disappointed.

Daniel Thomas, RB MIA
Thomas owners may be disappointed at this news, but they should be thrilled.  If Miami had signed another premier running back like Ahmad Bradshaw, Thomas would have quickly become a complementary player.  With Bush in the fold, Thomas will have much less in the way of him become Miami’s featured back.

Thomas won’t get the ball 25 times, but that was never going to happen anyway.  Bush is going to take away many of the third down opportunities he would have had, but that’s a whole lot better than a back being re-signed to take away the first and second down ones instead.  He’s a solid first round rookie pick this year.

Dynasty owners should view this as a valuable lesson.  While Thomas owners escaped an absolute mess with Miami seemingly losing out in the Bradshaw sweepstakes, they should remember the nervousness they felt this week when the Dolphins were making a run at him.  This just reinforces the notion that rookies (especially running backs) get overvalued at this time of year.

Brandon Marshall, WR MIA
The Dolphins badly needed some weapons and you could make a case that Marshall, Davone Bess, Anthony Fasano and all of the Dolphins offense benefits from a player who can at least be a decoy to take some attention off them.

Ronnie Brown and Ricky Williams, RB FA
It’s highly doubtful that either Brown or Williams return to Miami now.  With Bush and Thomas taking over, the Dolphins are going in a different direction.  They’ll need to look elsewhere for work, with the Denver Broncos a distinct possibility should they pass on Willis McGahee or Jason Snelling.

Chad Henne, QB MIA
It’s nice to have a player of Reggie Bush’s caliber to throw to.  Unfortunately, the person throwing to him likely won’t be Henne.  Stay tuned.

Ahmad Bradshaw, RB FA
It’s looking more and more likely that he’ll return to New York, as expected.  With DeAngelo Williams in Carolina and Miami trading for Reggie Bush, he seems to be running out of options.

Mark Ingram, RB NO
Bush was never going to threaten the future of Ingram, but it helps that he’s out of the mix completely.  Ingram should be the first running back off the board in rookie drafts and the thinning out of the New Orleans depth chart helps him out tremendously.  He has the potential to eventually become a RB1 in a dynasty league.

Pierre Thomas, RB NO
Thomas regains some dynasty league value with Bush being shipped out of town.  The Saints will likely mix and match Thomas and Ingram the way they did with Bush and Thomas for the past few seasons.  Ingram will get the lion’s share of carries, but Thomas won’t be forgotten.  However, he’s no better than a depth player or a RB4 in a deep dynasty league.

Chris Ivory, RB NO
If he can show the ability to come back from his injury, there’s now a nice little roster spot waiting for him.

ken kelly