Samaje Perine reveals why he chose Broncos over Bengals
Mar 25, 2023 - 1:39 AMMost Cincinnati Bengals fans shed a tear when they found Samaje Perine was heading elsewhere in free agency.
While the years and money that he would’ve been able to get in Cincinnati seemed similar, Perine is taking his talent to the Denver Broncos for a completely different reason, and that’s going to be the role he’s set to play in the Sean Payton-led offense.
Payton’s long history of using multiple running backs, just as he did with Alvin Kamara and Mark Ingram in New Orleans, was a factor for Perine. Here’s what he had to say regarding why he opted to join the Broncos via Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post.
“What it came down to, really, was how upfront Denver was with me as far as playing time and what Coach Payton wants to do with me, personally, and what he wants to do as an offense. The first time I talked with Coach Payton when everything opened up — (on Wednesday), that first day — the thing he really emphasized was his history of using multiple backs, using two backs in his time with the Saints and going through the history of the backs he’s had. That made my decision a tad bit easier,” Perine told The Denver Post.
It’s difficult to blame Perine, who was largely the third-down back for Cincinnati. Perine was used for his elite blocking ability often, and that was true even when both Perine and lead back Joe Mixon were healthy.
Perine was a rookie in 2017 and went for 603 rushing yards on 175 carries. He had 213 carries in three seasons with the Bengals, ending 2022 with 95 rushes and 394 yards. He seems primed to be more involved in the offense, something he didn’t get much of the last few seasons.
Unfortunately, the Bengals now have a hole in their backfield, and with Mixon potentially set to be cut to save cap space, the Bengals running back committee may look drastically different next season.
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