Perine heads to D.C.

The Redskins added Oklahoma RB Samaje Perine in the 4th round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Perine turned in a huge freshman season, taking 263 carries for 1,713 yards and 21 scores. That included an FBS-record 427 rushing yards against Kansas. His numbers slid from there as Joe Mixon arrived in Norman, but Perine still totaled 2,409 yards and 28 TDs on 5.7 yards per carry across the past 2 years. He wasn’t nearly as productive in the passing game, failing to top 15 catches or 108 receiving yards in any of his 3 seasons. He also tested poorly at the Combine, registering a 33rd percentile SPARQ score. An early-down pounder, Perine seems like a redundant player with Rob Kelley already in Washington. Kelley isn’t a special talent, though, so Perine is a threat to steal significant work this season.

Bengals RB Samaje Perine ran for 106 yards on 21 carries in Sunday's win over the Chiefs. He added 6 catches for 49 yards among 7 targets, ranking 2nd on the team in both targets and receptions. Perine watched Chris Evans claim the only RB TD, on an 8-yard catch. QB Joe Burrow supplied the team's only rushing score. We'd bet on Joe Mixon being ready to return in Week 14 (vs. Cleveland) after missing the past 2 games with a concussion.

Bengals RB Samaje Perine garnered 24 opportunities in the team's win at Tennessee Sunday. He predictably had trouble with rushing efficiency against the league's top run defense, gaining 58 yards on 17 carries (3.4 per rush) with a long run of 9. But Perine found the end from 7 yards out to make his fantasy day. He added 4 catches for 35 yards on 7 targets for a nice PPR line. Trayveon Williams worked as the #2 RB -- with Joe Mixon out -- carrying twice for 18 yards and catching 1 of 2 targets for 24 yards. RB Chris Evans played just 4 snaps. We'll see about the status of Mixon (concussion) for Week 13.

Bengals #2 RB Samaje Perine claimed 3 of QB Joe Burrow's 4 TD passes in Sunday's win over the Steelers. The 1st came before Joe Mixon left with a concussion, but the other 2 followed his 2nd-quarter departure. Perine caught 4 passes for 52 yards in all. He also led an inefficient run game, carrying 11 times or 30 yards (2.7 per rush). Mixon also averaged just 2.9 yards per carry on his 7 attempts before leaving. Mixon's injury gives Perine a pretty good chance at starting Week 12. Unfortunately for him, that will come against the league's top run defense (Titans).

Bengals HC Zac Taylor said Monday that RB Samaje Perine has a “leg up” in the competition to be the 3rd-down back. Taylor also called Perine a "security blanket" while acknowledging that 2nd-year RB Chris Evans could still earn the role. The main takeaway here is that the team doesn't want to put too much on Joe Mixon's plate, despite his 3-down skill set. A Mixon injury would almost certainly lead to a timeshare.

Bengals RB Samaje Perine was activated from the PUP list on Wednesday. He operated as Cincinnati's #2 RB last season but will need to hold off 2nd-year RB Chris Evans for that job this summer.