Reggie Bush free agent rumors: Cardinals, Lions could land RB, per report

Lintao Zhang

The Arizona Cardinals and Detroit Lions could be two teams interested in acquiring the services of running back Reggie Bush.

It's no secret that running back Reggie Bush won't be back with the Miami Dolphins next season, and at 28 years old, he still has some tread left on the tires. Mike Florio over at Pro Football Talk thinks that two teams in particular are worthy of attention as possible landing spots for Bush: the Detroit Lions and the Arizona Cardinals.

Both teams make sense for a variety of reasons. When it comes to the Lions, they've been looking for running back help for some time now. They thought Jahvid Best was to be their franchise running back, but after multiple severe concussions, he may never play football again.

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The Lions tried a few solutions that didn't pan out. They have Mikel Leshoure, but he's already missed significant time during his first two seasons due to injuries and suspension. Outside of that, Detroit has Kevin Smith, who has shown flashes of brilliance but is ultimately inconsistent.

Detroit also is a pass-first team, and Bush has always been a receiving back. Dumpoffs in the backfield and screen plays fit right in with what Bush likes to do, and that would suit the Lions just fine.

There is still a little bit of competition in Detroit, and that might make Arizona a more attractive option. If both teams were to go after Bush, he might prefer a place where he is definitely the starter. He feels there's plenty left in the tank and the Cardinals are objectively worse-off at the position than the Lions.

Arizona has Ryan Williams and Beanie Wells at the position, and then not much else. Bush would certainly fit the bill if the Cardinals needed someone to come in and start right away. The Cardinals might also be better-equipped to pay Bush more than the Lions would.

At this point, it's just a rumor, but the market for Bush does appear to be there. He carried the ball 227 times and rushed for 986 yards in 2012. This was something of a down year, as he rushed for more than 1,000 yards with the Dolphins in 2011. Still, he was productive with six touchdowns and should find a home for 2013.