Samaje Perine

5 teams in 9 years — and he's back in Cincinnati for the third stop of his career.

After being drafted by Washington in the 4th round of 2017 and starting 8 games as a rookie, Perine's career nearly ended at age 24 — he played just 8 games combined across 2018-2019 between Washington, Cincinnati, and Miami. The Bengals brought him back as a depth piece in 2020 and he never left the NFL again.

Why it matters. Career longevity in the NFL is rare for a 4th-round RB. Perine survived a near-washout in 2018-19 and stuck for 9 seasons by reinventing himself as a receiving and pass-pro back across 5 stops.

2022 Bengals: stepped in for Joe Mixon and dropped a Steelers triple — 30, 51, and a 4-TD week.

When Joe Mixon went down in November 2022, Perine took over the lead-back job for a 4-week stretch that produced his only career 100-yard rushing game (106 vs KC) *and* a 3-receiving-TD game vs Pittsburgh. Those four weeks: 65 carries, 245 yards, 1 RushTD, 15 receptions, 139 yards, 3 RecTDs. Pure swiss-army-knife usage from a backup.

Why it matters. When Joe Mixon was hurt in November 2022, Perine produced his only career 100-yard rushing game and a 3-receiving-TD game in a 4-week stretch — the most versatile backup performance of his career.

2023 in Denver: 50 catches for 455 yards — pivoted from runner to receiver overnight.

Perine signed a 2-year deal with Sean Payton's Broncos in 2023 and was used almost entirely as a 3rd-down/checkdown back. The carry-to-target split flipped: 53 carries vs 56 targets, 238 rushing yards vs 455 receiving yards. His 9.1 yards-per-reception outpaced his career 8.1 average and his role swung from runner to pass-catcher overnight — note the Week 11 line: 1 carry, 7 targets, 7 receptions, 60 yards.

Why it matters. Perine's 2023 Denver season is the clearest example in his career of an RB being slotted as a passing-down specialist rather than a runner. The 56 targets vs 53 carries shows Sean Payton's scheme used him as a checkdown safety valve, not a ball-carrier.

576 career carries, 2,372 career rushing yards — exactly 4.1 YPC for the whole decade.

The cumulative line — 576-2,372-13 rushing + 209-1,699-8 receiving — fits the profile of a valuable veteran complementary back: 4.1 YPC, 8.1 yards-per-reception, 21 total scrimmage TDs across 9 seasons. Never a feature back, never out of work.

He's earned a Super Bowl appearance with KC in 2024 (SB LIX) as a pass-protector and emergency carry option.

Why it matters. A 4.1 career YPC across 576 carries places Perine right at the league-average mark for backup RBs. The volume isn't impressive, but the consistency over 9 seasons and 5 teams is — including a Super Bowl LIX appearance with the 2024 Chiefs.

2024 with the Chiefs: 21 carries the entire season — by design.

Perine signed with Kansas City in 2024 specifically as a 3rd-down and 2-minute back behind Isiah Pacheco. The line shows it: 21 carries vs 38 targets, 29 receptions across 20 games (regular season + playoffs). That 1.05 carries per game is the lowest figure of any season in his career — every other healthy season checks in at 3.05 or higher. He was active for every Chiefs game on the path to Super Bowl LIX.

Why it matters. 1.05 carries per game is essentially scheme-coded usage: the Chiefs wanted Perine on the field only for pass-pro and checkdowns, not as a ball-carrier. It's the most extreme role-specialization season of his career.

Back to Cincinnati in 2025 — third stop with the Bengals, now as the early-down back.

Perine returned to Cincinnati on a 1-year deal in 2025 and took on his biggest early-down role since 2022: 84 carries for 382 yards (4.55 YPC), 3 rushing TDs. The Weeks 13 and 15 lines — back-to-back 14-carry games against Baltimore — are the only multi-week stretch of 10+ carries he has posted since the 2022 Mixon-injury window 3 seasons earlier.

Why it matters. Perine had not had back-to-back 10+ carry games at all between 2023 and Week 12 of 2025. The Weeks 13 and 15 Baltimore games signal the Bengals leaning on him as a real early-down option for the first time since 2022, with Chase Brown leading the room.