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Redskins: Samaje Perine deserves way more respect than he’s getting

By Jacob Camenker

NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 19: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with Chase Roullier #73 of the Washington Redskins after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images)
NEW ORLEANS, LA - NOVEMBER 19: Samaje Perine #32 of the Washington Redskins celebrates with Chase Roullier #73 of the Washington Redskins after scoring a touchdown during the first half against the New Orleans Saints at the Mercedes-Benz Superdome on November 19, 2017 in New Orleans, Louisiana. (Photo by Sean Gardner/Getty Images) /
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Samaje Perine had a fine rookie season for the Washington Redskins in 2017. This offseason, he hasn’t gotten the respect he deserves at all.

When the Washington Redskins selected Derrius Guice in the second round of the 2018 NFL Draft, there was reason for excitement among Redskins fans. The team hadn’t had a quality lead back since Alfred Morris‘ final days in D.C. and had struggled through two-plus seasons of searching for answers with Matt Jones and Rob Kelley. The addition of Guice should end that search, but it isn’t going to come at the expense of the quality backs already on the team’s roster.

So far this offseason, Guice has gotten a lot of love. And so has the explosive Chris Thompson, who should continue to be one of the best third-down backs in the NFL. That said, there has been a forgotten man in the Redskins backfield. That is Samaje Perine.

Perine was a fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma in the 2017 NFL Draft, and some expected him to serve as the lead back for a majority of last season. After all, he had a great career at Oklahoma and possessed excellent strength and solid running skills. He wasn’t likely to blow away anyone with his speed, but on paper, he was a better player than the incumbent starter Kelley.

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Perine didn’t win the job right away. However, he managed to play in all 16 games and notched eight starts. A majority of his action as a starter came following a season-ending injury to Kelley. In that role, Perine at times looked solid, and at times looked overwhelmed. He was adept at finding the hole on zone concept plays and showed solid vision. His strength and ability to serve as a power back wasn’t displayed as much as anticipated, so that was a knock on him during his rookie season.

In short, Perine had a fine rookie season. It wasn’t great, but it was far from bad. He figures to be a solid part of the running back rotation in 2018. However, many Redskins fans are writing him off the roster entirely in favor of other candidates on the roster, such as Kapri Bibbs, Byron Marshall, and Martez Carter. While that trio of backs has talent, choosing any of them over Perine would be an absurd notion.

First of all, Perine was thrown into action behind a makeshift line as a rookie and was still able to find a lot of success. He had multiple 100-yard rushing games back to back against the New York Giants and New Orleans Saints. Both teams have solid front lines, but Perine was able to grind out yardage. He didn’t just plod for two or three yards. In those games, he actually showed good strength, vision, and burst at the line of scrimmage. That’s not something that every running back would be able to do in those circumstances.

Second, Perine has had a whole offseason to develop with the Redskins coaching staff. Coming into the league, Perine was always going to have to learn exactly how to run in the NFL. The faster, stronger players rendered his collegiate style less effective, so he had to learn how to use power more. This offseason, he should have had a chance to do that. And given his insane strength, it’s easy to imagine him as a short yardage battering ram on the goal-line or in third-and-short scenarios.

And, of course, isn’t it important to have someone to give Guice a rest? Guice only handled a full workload once in college, and that was when he received 237 carries in 2017. The Redskins aren’t automatically going to hand him 300 touches in his first season. They’ll want to make sure he doesn’t tire down the stretch. They’ll look to mix in Thompson on passing downs, but Perine could get a handful of carries each week to keep Guice fresh.

Next: Redskins Training Camp Profile - RB Derrius Guice

There’s no better primary backup runner on the roster than Perine. Guice should be a strong starter and Thompson will continue to be an elite third down back. But beyond them, the third spot is Perine’s to lose. The former fourth-round pick should be ready to take the next step and develop into a quality backup behind Guice. He deserves more love than he’s getting and should get a chance to prove his doubters wrong in the preseason.

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