Despite introducing the “Wildcat” into the public consciousness, the Miami Dolphins haven’t been regarded as one of the NFL’s most dynamic offenses lately. They are hoping that changes now that Reggie Bush will be frequenting South Beach.
With two player-acquisition brushstrokes, the Dolphins have moved on from their aging and injury-prone backfield of Ricky Williams and Ronnie Brown over the last several years. Miami moved up in April’s draft to select its new running game focal point in Kansas State running back Daniel Thomas and, on July 28, sent a late-round pick and safety Jonathon Amaya – a special teams standout – to the New Orleans Saints for Bush. Much as he did when he first arrived in New Orleans in 2006 for Deuce McAllister, Bush figures to serve as the explosive passing-complement to the 6-0, 230-pound Thomas.
12-15 touches per game is exactly what Bush is looking for.
Fantasy Impact
Bush’s relevancy in fantasy – which was already in question following the 2010 season – became even more clouded following the Saints’ addition of Alabama’s Mark Ingram in the first round in April to a backfield that already possessed Pierre Thomas and Chris Ivory. Because Bush was due $11.8 M this season with New Orleans, the Saints knew they had to address his contract one way or the other, be it via renegotiation or trade. Considering Bush still views himself as something much more than a complementary piece, a trade out of New Orleans became a likely option.
Make no mistake, Thomas is the present and the future in Miami’s backfield and is a good bet to push or exceed 250 touches this year, but this trade should allow Bush to be the 12-15 touch per game player he wants to be while also preserving the rookie as he gets introduced to the NFL. If Miami follows through on another trade for Denver’s Kyle Orton, then Bush should find himself in about as good of a situation as he could have hoped for this offseason.
Since he was moving toward irrelevance as a Saint, a trade to Miami represents a definite boon to Bush’s fantasy stock. The absence of Drew Brees and Sean Payton as his quarterback and play-caller, respectively, will hurt, but the promise of regular touches in a Dolphins’ offense that promises to be more aggressive under new offensive coordinator Brian Daboll should give Bush a chance to be a regular flex starter in fantasy, at least in PPR leagues.
