Samaje Perine Details How Broncos' Offense Will be 'Pretty Dangerous'
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Having a head coach who's won a Super Bowl like Sean Payton at the helm would prove to be advantageous for the Denver Broncos during free agency.
Early into Payton's quest to improve the Broncos, the onus was put on signing tough, physical players to reinforce immediate areas of need. Once highly coveted offensive linemen Ben Powers and Mike McGlinchey had been secured, Payton continued his mission by selling Cincinnati Bengals free-agent running back Samaje Perine on making Denver his new home.
Perine's two-year, $7.5 million deal with the Broncos was right in his wheelhouse, and the Broncos' need for a power back to potentially carry the load while Javonte Williams recovers from major knee surgery was self-evident.
Ultimately, Perine told Parker Gabriel of The Denver Post that his mind was made up when Payton divulged what his role would be within an offense that historically uses running backs a lot.
“What it came down to, really, was how up front Denver was with me as far as playing time and what Coach Payton wants to do with me, personally, and what he wants to do as an offense,” Perine told Gabriel on Thursday. “The first time I talked with Coach Payton when everything opened up – (on Wednesday), that first day – the thing he really emphasized was his history of using multiple backs, using two backs in his time with the Saints and going through the history of the backs he’s had. That made my decision a tad bit easier.”
Williams’ injury is so severe that predicting when he might be able to put the pads back on is near-useless. Preparing for Williams' potential absence meant going hard after Perine when free agency began.
Perine wasn't put off at the notion of possibly sharing the load with Williams, who clearly was on the fast track to NFL stardom when his nasty injury occurred. As Perine noted, when you can also throw future Hall-of-Fame quarterback Russell Wilson into the mix, something could really be cooking on offense.
“When Javonte does come back and is fully healthy, I’ve seen him on film and I’ve seen the kind of runner he is,” Perine told Gabriel. “And a full game’s worth of two backs who run the ball physically straight down your throat? That’s going to be, in my opinion, pretty dangerous. With (quarterback Russell Wilson) and everyone around it, I feel we have the potential to be a pretty dangerous offense.”
Particularly during the Bengals' last playoff run, Perine shone brightly at just the right time, especially as he prepared to head into the offseason and free agency. The durable 27-year-old running back's long touchdown catch and run against the Kansas City Chiefs in the AFC title game even hinted that he might emerge from the shadow of long-time Bengals starter Joe Mixon, had he not opted to come to Denver.
In the final analysis, Perine's burning ambitions to prove himself elsewhere led him to switch teams after four productive seasons spent in Cincinnati. Absolutely central to that decision were the parallels he drew between what his former head coach in Cincinnati, Zac Taylor, managed to put together and what Payton is now starting to lay down in the Mile High City.
“It’s very similar to Cincinnati, where we had the pieces and it’s just a matter of putting those pieces together and everyone buying into and believing in where we’re trying to get to,” Perine told Gabriel. “Everyone kind of saw it as an overnight, quick turnaround thing (in Cincinnati), but Zac, he was working on that and getting the right people in place and having the right attitude in the building. It takes time, but I feel if we buy in early – it doesn’t even take anything drastic – it’s just buying in and being on the same page… I’ve heard nothing but great things about Coach Payton and the coach he is.”
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