The Washington Redskins love what running back Samaje Perine brings to the table — but he could also have a hard time making the final roster.
Perine, after all, has never seen a massive role despite being around for a number of years. And now he’s scratching and clawing on a depth chart with Derrius Guice, Adrian Peterson and Chris Thompson, not to mention a rookie and others.
So what about switching to fullback?
JP Finlay of NBC Sports provided Jay Gruden’s take on that: “I’m sure that he could probably do it. That’s an option, but he’s also a tailback in his mind and he wants the ball. Push comes to shove, if we need to have a fullback and he’s the only one here, then he surely could do it because he’s got the power to do it.”
The first hurdle here is simple: the Redskins would have to want to roster a fullback. With a back like Peterson, it seems like they would, but the NFL continues to change.
The second hurdle would be Perine himself, which Gruden seems to hint at. He’s still only 23 years old and another team might be willing to give him a chance at a bigger workload if the Redskins keep him near the end of the depth chart.
For now, though, don’t be shocked if Perine the fullback is an idea that keeps gaining steam late into the summer.
