Considering all the additions the Denver Broncos have made to the running back room, Samaje Perine should be sweating. His spot on the roster is in jeopardy for two reasons: team finances and his play.
When the Broncos signed Perine during the 2023 offseason, there was a lot of hype surrounding the move, but he failed to live up to it during the season. He did well as a receiver out of the backfield and even started the season as the more effective runner, but he quickly fell off.
The arrival of Audric Estimé, a versatile player known for his running, receiving, and blocking skills, poses the most significant threat to Perine’s place on the roster. Estimé's college career was marked by solid ball protection, fumbling only four times on 398 touches over three seasons, including just once on 226 touches last season.
In contrast, Perine fumbled three times on 103 touches last season, which is a clear issue. Estimé's potential impact cannot be underestimated.
The bigger question with Perine is whether he shows his value at $4.5 million against the Broncos' salary cap. If he doesn’t, and Estimé, Jaleel McLaughlin, and even undrafted rookie Blake Watson show the team that they could back up Javonte Williams effectively, then Perine can easily be let go.
Perine could count $1.5 million against the salary cap in dead money with a cut or a trade while freeing up $3.5 million in salary cap space. The Broncos sit with roughly $7.6 million in salary-cap space, so that extra $3.5 million can be crucial.
Given the Broncos' financial situation, it's easy to see that Perine can easily be the odd man out in the room. If the team goes with Williams, Estimé, McLaughlin, and Watson as its running backs, it'll have roughly $5.4 million invested in the running back room. Keeping Perine at his $4.5M cap number over Watson would lead to approximately $9.1M invested in the position.
Is Perine worth that $4.5M extra? Based on last season, the answer is no, but he will have a chance to prove himself this summer.
Bottom Line
The financials may have it stacked against Perine, but he can only control the controllables. He could also get help with his battle to make the roster with any other running backs struggling in training camp or preseason while he shows reliability in all three phases.
The former Cincinnati Bengals running back looked much better during his time there. He's shown the ability to be trusted and reliable as a running back.
That ability flashed during the 2023 season with the Broncos, but the consistency wasn’t there. With some fumbling issues, Perine lost some trust in the coaching staff, and his opportunities declined.
Being a reliable safety outlet as a receiver won’t be enough for Perine, which is what he did the best for the Broncos last season, especially late in games. He's on a short leash, and if Estimé can show enough, Perine will be elsewhere for the 2024 season.
