Jay Gruden looking forward to seeing Samaje Perine on field for Redskins

Samaje Perine was a forgotten man for the Redskins last year. However, Jay Gruden took some time to praise him at the recent NFL annual meeting.

Last year, the Washington Redskins waited until the final game of the season to get Samaje Perine any action. Perine responded fairly well, gaining 32 yards on just eight carries and showing some of the improved running ability that had been on display before he got hurt in the preseason.

Heading into 2019, his status with the team was thought to be unclear. After all, Perine barely dressed last year, as he fell behind Kapri Bibbs and Byron Marshall for the third RB spot, and Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson, and Chris Thompson were set to be the top three ball-carriers for the ‘Skins this year. However, it seems that coach Jay Gruden is still a fan of Perine and is looking forward to seeing what he can do this year.

According to Jake Kring-Schreifels of the Redskins official website, Gruden is looking forward to seeing what Perine can offer him this year. Here’s what he said at the NFL annual meetings about Perine.

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"“The guy I want to see, who everyone thinks is in my doghouse, is Samaje [Perine],” Gruden said. “Samaje has not gotten the opportunities, I’m upset about that, that’s my fault. But, I have not given up on Samaje. He’s young, he’s strong, he’s physical, and I need to see him take that next step and I have to give him that opportunity to do that, and it’s going to be hard with Guice and AP in there to get him the ball. That’ll be a tough dynamic but I have to get that done.”"

It’s odd that Gruden would bring this up now, especially considering that he had plenty of opportunities to test Perine as the third-string running back last year yet declined to do so. If he truly believes that Perine could be a solid player, then not giving him playing time down the line last year was a major mistake.

Perine does have talent, as he is strong and is a better runner than many give him credit for. He showed flashes during his rookie year playing behind a poor offensive line and looked good in the preseason before suffering an injury. He could eventually earn a role as a top backup, but it remains to be seen if that opportunity exists in Washington, as they are fairly loaded at the position. Of course, Guice is coming off a torn ACL, Thompson is injury prone, and Peterson is now 34, so the team could quickly go from stacked to thin if things break the wrong way there.

Still, Gruden’s comments do point to one thing. He is clearly comfortable with the running back group that the team does have. That said, it would be a surprise to see the team draft a running back at any point during the draft process because of these comments. If he likes his team’s de facto fourth-string option this much, there’s no reason for the team to add someone else late. If anything, they can sign an undrafted free agent with practice squad potential.

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It will be interesting to see if Perine gets more opportunities moving forward, or if this is just lip service from Gruden. Either way, the former fourth-round pick is entering a critical year as he looks for another chance to prove that he can play at the NFL level.

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