SANTA CLARA, Calif. -- Keeping in mind that coach Jim Tomsula said to pay little stock in the San Francisco 49ers’ initial depth chart, perhaps the most, well, interesting nugget to come out of it was Reggie Bush being listed as the team’s top kick and punt returner.
Especially since Bush has returned all of one kickoff in his NFL career. In 2010. For the New Orleans Saints. And he went 32 yards.
“Reggie’s got the skill to do that,” Tomsula said. “Reggie wants to do that. I don’t want this coming across as anything misleading. Right now, out the gate, before we do anything live and people are going to get tackled ... the guy best and most proven on our team is Reggie Bush.”
Thing is, Bush is not playing in the Niners’ exhibition opener at the Houston Texans on Saturday. Which creates an opportunity for someone else.
Guys like Australian rugby star Jarryd Hayne and undrafted rookie DeAndrew White.
“So, we’ve got a proven entity there (in Bush),” Tomsula said. “Let’s see where these other guys are. If you’ve got a 22-year-old guy, a 23-year-old guy that can catch a punt (or kickoff) and get going and make something happen, well, maybe there's a rep you take off someone that’s been doing it for 10 years.
“We’ve got to find out. Today? We don’t know. As we go through the preseason, we’re going to find those answers.”
Bruce Ellington, who led the Niners in punt and kick returns last season, has been dealing with what Tomsula characterized as a muscle strain most of camp and will not travel to Houston.