With starting running back Javonte Williams (knee) facing an uncertain recovery timeline this year, the Denver Broncos needed to add more depth to the backfield this offseason.
Denver checked that box during free agency by signing 27-year-old veteran Samaje Perine to a two-year contract. Perine is a versatile running back who could especially help the Broncos in passing situations.
“I see position flex,” coach Sean Payton said at the NFL owners’ meetings last week. “If you really watch Perine and study the tape, you see him on early downs, and you see him playing third down.
“He’s a really good receiver. Obviously, he could block the blitz. He’s big, he’s physical, he’s smart, he’s tough. He’s built to last. That was an important piece for us knowing the injury that we’re dealing with. He was really important.”
Perine rushed for 394 yards and two touchdowns and totaled 287 receiving yards and scored twice as a receiver out of the backfield with the Cincinnati Bengals in 2022.
Perine is an excellent RB2 and he is capable of serving as a starter if Williams is sidelined early in the season (Perine filled in for an injured Joe Mixon twice last year). Denver could still use more depth at the position, though.
When asked if the Broncos might re-sign in-house free agent Latavius Murray, Payton said “We’ll see.” Denver general manager George Paton was also asked about Murray last week. His response: “We like Latavius. Let’s kind of see where that goes.”
It certainly sounds like the Broncos haven’t ruled out the possibility of a reunion with Murray, but such a signing likely would not happen until after the NFL draft later this month.
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