Redskins: Five players to watch on cut day, as teams make moves
By Ian Cummings
No. 4 – Redskins RB Samaje Perine
It’s been an interesting offseason for Samaje Perine, to say the least. He entered the summer as just one player in a crowded running back room, a room that now has seven players and must be cut down to either three or four.
Perine as first projected to be one of the three or four to stay, as Jay Gruden frequently name-dropped him as a standout in press conferences. But when the players put on the pads and the helmets, and played under the lights, Perine faltered. Over the course of the 2019 preseason session, Perine logged a measly 43 yards on 20 total carries, and while he occasionally flashed physicality and toughness, his lack of speed and vision was all too noticeable.
Perine’s role, in theory, is best served as a power back, but he doesn’t even have much utility there, given his lack of vision. At this point, it doesn’t seem like a roster spot can be reasonably used on him, but Gruden has been known to stick with “his guys”. It’ll be interesting to see just how far out of the dog house Perine is, or if he’s found a way back in.