Hopefully owners didn't immediately reinsert Reggie Bush into their lineups upon his return. If they did, they were surely disappointed.

Sidelined since Week Two with a cracked fibula, the Saints' back finally saw field action again in Thursday's contest at Dallas. But instead of instantly becoming the focal point of the New Orleans backfield, he was brought along slowly. Very slowly.

Bush touched the ball just twice in his return, rushing once for one yard and catching a pass for 12 yards. But those were the best things that happened to him at Cowboys Stadium. He also lost a fumble and had a screen pass bounce off his head when he wasn't looking. All in all, it probably won't go down as one of his more memorable outings.

While it's tough to read too much into one contest after the guy had been out most of the season, this return doesn't bode well for Bush's value the rest of the way. It's clear that head coach Sean Payton doesn't fully trust him yet, and the Saints' running game has actually been operating fairly well in the hands of Chris Ivory and Julius Jones. Plus, Pierre Thomas is expected back from his ankle injury fairly soon. That's a crowded backfield to say the least.

If you waited this long for Bush to come back, you shouldn't cut bait with him yet. But you should also make him prove something before you consider him a legitimate starting option.