As roster cut day approaches and injuries are rife in the running back room, could the Cincinnati Bengals be close to re-signing former running back Samaje Perine? A Bengals sports reporter thinks it’s a possibility.
In a recent column for The Athletic, Cincinnati Bengals sportswriter Paul Dehner, Jr., floated the idea that the Bengals could reunite with Perine, who was with the team from 2019-2022, aside from a brief stint with the Miami Dolphins during the 2019 season. During his four years with the Bengals, Perine rushed for nearly 1,000 yards and scored six touchdowns, replacing former starting running back Joe Mixon.
Now Mixon is out of the running in Cincinnati, having been traded to the Houston Texans, and Perine could be a victim of roster cuts with the Denver Broncos. Perine was a part-time running back for the Broncos last season and could be watching from the outside given the emergence of young talent on their roster.
With Chris Evans out for the season with a torn patellar tendon, the Bengals could be in the market to upgrade their position. Chase Brown has excelled in this year’s training camp and is expected to be the team’s starter, while free agent Zack Moss will likely be a rotation back. That leaves only Trayveon Henderson as a backup option. Cincinnati may not be happy with that, according to Dehner, and could try to sign Perine.
If the Bengals are willing to take on a portion of Perine’s $4.5 million salary for this season, the two sides could work out a trade to bring Perine back to Cincinnati. Otherwise, Dehner believes the Bengals could wait to see if Perine is released and then try to lure him back to the team as a free agent. As a seasoned veteran, Perine would hit the free agent market immediately rather than having to go through the waiver process, which could see the Bengals lose to a higher priority team.
Whatever the case, it looks like Cincinnati fans will have to dig through their closets to find the old Perine jerseys.
