The 49ers have signed Reggie Bush, and while it's a fit that makes sense based on need, it looks a little strange in terms of what he brings to the table and how San Francisco has used its running backs in recent years. Bush is best known for his receiving ability, and that's been an underutilized aspect of San Francisco's offense.
The 49ers have a new head coach, of course, and replaced offensive coordinator Greg Roman. But they promoted from within at both positions, hiring defensive line coach Jim Tomsula to replace Jim Harbaugh and quarterbacks coach Geep Chryst to replace Roman. The question is whether the offense will now throw to its running backs more than it has in the past.
Over the past four seasons, the 49ers as a team have averaged 31 receptions by running backs. Bush on his own has averaged 43 -- and that's while missing 8 games, or half a season's worth.
Maybe this played into their interest in him -- bringing in a running back who could add that potential to their offense. But Frank Gore had plenty of receiving ability (earlier in his career he had three different seasons with over 50 receptions). San Francisco just chose not to throw it to him much the last four years (17, 28, 16 and 11 receptions).
Unless the offense changes significantly under Chryst, it's tough to see the team getting the best out of Bush.
| RUNNING BACK RECEPTIONS, 2011-2014 | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Year | 49ers | Bush | % comp |
| 2011 | 34 | 43 | 126% |
| 2012 | 40 | 35 | 88% |
| 2013 | 23 | 54 | 235% |
| 2014 | 26 | 40 | 154% |
| Total | 123 | 172 | 140% |
| Avg | 30.75 | 43 | |
--Andy Richardson