A white limousine pulled into the gated parking lot at the Lions' practice facility a little before 9:30 a.m. Wednesday with running back Reggie Bush in back. By the time it left some five hours later, Bush was a Lion and the team had its biggest free-agent acquisition in almost a decade. Bush signed a four-year, $16-million deal Wednesday to be the Lions' feature back and reinvigorate a running game still reeling from the concussion-related loss of Jahvid Best. One of Bush's new teammates trumpeted the 28-year-old as "the missing piece" to the Lions' offense."With our aerial attack and he can catch the ball the way we can out of the backfield and some of the other running game stuff we got in place, I think it's tailor-made for him," guard Rob Sims said. The Lions signed four players. Safety Glover Quin inked a five-year deal to anchor the thin secondary. Defensive end Jason Jones, a Southfield-Lathrup and Eastern Michigan product, signed a three-year contract to return home and play for the team he grew up rooting for. And after a brief sojourn into the free-agent market, corner back Chris Houston agreed to a five-year deal to remain a Lion. But by far the biggest addition was Bush, who dined with quarterback Matthew Stafford after he got to town Tuesday and had been the Lions' No. 1 free-agent target since they sat down to plan their off-season in January. Bush said players, including Calvin Johnson and Nate Burleson, reached out to him in recent weeks about playing in Detroit.The Lions ranked 23rd in the NFL in rushing offense at 100.8 yards a game and sought a home-run threat capable of making defenses pay for all the extra attention lavished on Johnson. Bush, the Lions' biggest free-agent signing since luring Damien Woody away from the Super Bowl champion Patriots in 2004, is coming off the two most productive rushing seasons of his career. He averaged 4.7 yards a carry the last two years with the Dolphins, and had three seasons with at least 50 catches and won a Super Bowl ring with the Saints."The thing that was important to us was not just the talents of Reggie Bush but also the way those talents complement the other players we have on offense, notably Calvin Johnson and Matthew Stafford," coach Jim Schwartz said. "That was really the basis of our interest in Reggie and trying to make such a strong push to get him here and be a weapon in our offense."We had a sore need for explosive runs on offense. We were last in the NFL in explosive runs last year. And with the boxes that we see, with the way that the dynamic with Calvin works, it provides opportunity for running backs to make dynamic plays in our offense."Bush said he only slept two or three hours Tuesday night after meeting with Stafford and Lions coaches because he was "up just thinking about all the possibilities" in the offense."We had such a great meeting that it almost seemed too perfect," Bush said. "But I'm excited to be here, I'm excited to get this thing on the road and get to work because I think it's going to be a good thing, and I look forward to winning a lot of football games here."In Quin and Jones, the Lions got two new starters for a defense that is undergoing a major makeover.Defensive end Cliff Avril, the Lions' sack leader the last two years, agreed to terms with the Seahawks late Wednesday night, backup defensive tackle Sammie Hill signed with the Titans, starters Justin Durant, Louis Delmas and Jacob Lacey are unrestricted free agents, and Kyle Vanden Bosch was released earlier this off-season. Delmas still could return and pair with Quin to give the Lions a strong safety corps. Jones, who played his rookie season in Tennessee with Schwartz as his defensive coordinator, should start at one end spot but also can play defensive tackle.
More Details: Meet the new guys
RB Reggie Bush
His deal: 4 years, $16 million.
His role: Bush, 28, should give the Lions’ running game an immediate jolt. Has three seasons with at least 50 catches and can be a field-stretcher in the backfield or slot.
S Glover Quin
His deal: 5 years, money unknown.
His role: Quin, 27, is a coverage specialist who fills glaring need in secondary. Started 16 games each of the last three years in Houston.
DL Jason Jones
His deal: 3 years, $9.5 million.
His role: Jones, 26, can play both defensive end and tackle but could be in line for a starting DE role with Cliff Avril leaving for Seattle. EMU product has 18?1/2 career sacks in five seasons. (More on Jones, 2C)
What a rush
Only four Lions have rushed for more than Reggie Bush’s 4,162 career yards:
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