The Detroit Lions were the talk of the NFL in 2013 offseason when they signed unrestricted free-agent running back Reggie Bush.
Most agreed that he was the perfect complement to receiver Calvin Johnson and would give the Lions' offense just what it needed -- a game-breaking threat in the backfield to replace Jahvid Best.
Now, less than two years later, Bush is gone, showing just how fast things can change in this league.
The Lions announced Wednesday that they have released Bush, who had two years remaining on his contract. The move will provide a salary-cap savings of about $1.7 million for 2015.
That additional money will be helpful if the Lions re-sign defensive tackle Ndamukong Suh, who can become a free agent on March 10.
Bush, who turns 30 next Monday, is coming off an injury-plagued season in which he rushed for only 297 yards and two touchdowns in 11 games, along with 40 receptions for 253 yards.
An ankle injury slowed him down for several weeks in the middle of the season, but Bush did show flashes of his old self in a couple of games down the stretch as the Lions finished with 11 victories and went to the playoffs.
His disappointing season overall, however, came after he had rushed for 1,006 yards, the second-highest total of his career, and caught 54 passes for 506 yards in 2013, his first year in Detroit.
Still, Bush experienced some fumbling problems that season. Combined with last year's injury, his downward production, his age and contract, the Lions decided it was time to move in a different direction.
The writing seemed to be on the wall last week when general manager Martin Mayhew was asked about his running-back situation and named only Joique Bell and Theo Riddick.
Bell, 28, gives the Lions a physical element at 5-foot-11, 229 pounds, while Riddick, a sixth-round draft pick in 2013, has the ability to do some of the same things Bush did in catching the ball coming out of the backfield.
There's a good chance now that the Lions will add another running back through the draft. Some early projections have even suggested that Georgia's Todd Gurley or Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon might be a consideration in the first round.
