There’s been a lot of talk recently surrounding the three backs that Washington is bolstering, in Adrian Peterson, Derrius Guice and Chris Thompson.
There’s one more name that should be included in that group though.
Samaje Perine, a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Perine has gone mostly overlooked by the Redskins, and he only played five games in the 2018 season due to nagging injuries. However, with a hopefully healthy start to his 2019 campaign, Perine can act as a difference maker in the eyes of Redskins coach Jay Gruden.
“Samaje has not gotten the opportunities, I’m upset about that; that’s my fault. But I have not given up on Samaje,” said Gruden, via NBC Sports Washington. “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.”
Perine only totaled 11 touches (!!) in 2018, down from 197 touches in his rookie season. Heading into a season where the Washington organization as a whole has its eyes toward the future of the position, with Guice as the new toy, Perine knows that there is a lot of work cut out for him.
“Competition is competition you know?” Perine said. “If you don’t like competition, if you don’t grind with the competition, then I hate to tell you, but it’s probably the wrong business for you.”
The Redskins have needs spread across the field, but a three-headed monster in the backfield is sure to help offensive production. We’ll see if Samaje can make it a four-headed monster in 2019.
