Samaje Perine

Dolphins To Sign Samaje Perine

The Dolphins are signing former Redskins starting running back Samaje Perine off the Bengals’ practice squad, a source tells Ian Rapoport of NFL.com (on Twitter). Rapoport adds that Perine is in the team’s plans for next year, so it sounds like his deal will also cover the 2020 season.

In the near term, Perine will help fill in for running back Myles Gaskin, who suffered an ankle injury on Sunday. That injury left Miami with only two healthy running backs on their roster: Patrick Laird, who has earned three starts this season, and De’Lance Turner. The position has been a revolving door for the Dolphins this year, with four running backs – Laird, Kenyan Drake, Mark Walton, and Kalen Ballage – garnering starts.

The Redskins used a 2017 fourth-rounder to select Perine, a former Oklahoma standout. He broke onto the season quickly for Washington, earning a start in his third career game. The running back continued to show flashes during his rookie campaign, compiling 603 rushing yards and one touchdown on 175 carries (to go along with another 22 receptions for 182 yards and one score).

Perine found himself playing behind Adrian Peterson in 2018, and he was waived by Washington at the end of the 2019 preseason. He was claimed off waivers by the Bengals, and he landed on their practice squad after a brief stint on the active roster.

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 10/19/19

A couple of practice squad moves to report as we await kickoffs tomorrow:

Cincinnati Bengals

Detroit Lions

A couple of somewhat notable running backs latched back on today in Perine and Perkins. They’d been waived by the Bengals and Lions respectively in the past couple of days. Perkins was a fifth-round pick of the Giants back in 2016, while Perine was taken in the fourth-round by the Redskins in 2017. Both players received plenty of buzz in their rookie years, but fizzled out quickly. Perkins went to UCLA, while Perine is an Oklahoma product.

Bengals To Release RB Samaje Perine

The Bengals are releasing running back Samaje Perine, according to a source who spoke with PFT’s Mike Florio (on Twitter). 

Perine had some buzz as a fourth-round pick in Washington a couple of years back, but has yet to break out as a pro. The Oklahoma product was a key special teams player in Cincinnati, but they’ve decided to move on from him.

Perine managed 603 yards in his rookie season, but averaged just 3.4 yards on his 175 attempts. Then, in 2018, he carried the rock just eight times. With the Bengals, he saw a grand total of five snaps.

The Bengals are 0-6 as they head into this week’s matchup against the Jaguars.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the RavensBengalsBrowns, and Steelers are noted below.

Additionally, as of today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

* = International Pathway Program player

Redskins Get Down To 53

And here it is, the 32nd and final team’s roster cuts. Their most notable release was the previously announced cutting of former first-round pick Josh Doctson. Of the stuff that’s new, not much is shocking. A couple of years ago, 2017 fourth-round running back Samaje Perine was hyped up as a potential future starter. The Oklahoma product, who had 603 rushing yards as a rookie, was cut today.

Veteran receiver Brian Quick, who had 564 yards with the Rams in 2016, was let go as well. Washington also parted ways with cornerback Adonis Alexander, a Virginia Tech product who they drafted in the sixth round of the 2018 Supplemental Draft.

Here are the rest of the moves:

Waived:

Waived/injured:

NFC East Rumors: Wentz, Eagles, Redskins

More details have emerged on Carson Wentz‘s contract. The deal, which stands to tether the quarterback to the Eagles through 2024, contains a $16.4MM signing bonus and a 2020 team option, Field Yates of ESPN.com tweets. This $30MM option will serve as a bonus and thus be spread in $5MM installments through the duration of the deal (for cap purposes), Joel Corry of CBS Sports notes. But Wentz will receive all of that cash in 2020, Dave Zangaro of NBC Sports Philadelphia notes. The Eagles must exercise that option by the 10th day of the 2020 league year, Yates tweets. Interestingly, if the Eagles decline the option, Wentz’s 2020 base salary morphs from $1.383MM to $31.383MM. As could be expected based on the franchise’s sizable commitment to its starting passer, the parties have already agreed that option will be picked up, Zangaro adds. As far as the 26-year-old quarterback’s new base salaries, they are as follows: $720K in 2019, $1.383MM in 2020, $3.9MM (2021), $18.5MM (2022), $18MM (2023) and $21MM (2024), per Yates.

  • Trent Williams remains at odds with the Redskins, with issues related to his contract and the team’s handling of his offseason medical issue coming between the parties. The nine-year veteran tackle underwent another procedure this week. This was, however, believed to be a minor cleanup related to the growth on his head, Ian Rapoport of NFL.com tweets.
  • The Redskins’ running back group is deeper than it was last season, with Derrius Guice set to debut and Bryce Love arriving via fourth-round pick. While it’s not certain how much Love will be able to contribute as a rookie, due to his December ACL tear, the new cogs joining Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson may spell trouble for Samaje Perine. The third-year player, though, may have a chance to stick around as a fullback. “We tried him there a couple of times a couple of years ago,” Jay Gruden said, via J.P. Finlay of NBC Sports Washington. “I’m sure that he could probably do it. That’s an option, but he’s also a tailback in his mind and he wants the ball. Push comes to shove, if we need to have a fullback and he’s the only one here, then he surely could do it because he’s got the power to do it.” However, Gruden added Elijah Wellman and J.P. Holtz are more natural fits for this job, putting Perine’s roster spot in peril.
  • Washington made some adjustments to its staff this week. Cole Spencer and David Whittington will transition from college scouts to national scouting roles. Spencer previously served as the Redskins’ southeast area scout, which is notable due to the number of Alabama players on this roster. Northeast area scout Matt Evans will take over in Spencer’s former role in the southeast. Spencer has been with the Redskins for 10 years, while Whittington and Evans sport 11 and six years, respectively, with the organization. Additionally, the Redskins plucked a Pro Football Focus staffer, Connor Barringer, to become their football strategy analyst. It appears the team is beefing up its analytics commitment.

NFC East Notes: Eagles, Foles, Redskins

Here’s a look at the NFC East: