Samaje Perine

The Athletic’s Paul Dehner Jr. expects Samaje Perine to reprise “a lesser version of the two-minute, passing-down role” he held in his previous seasons with the Bengals.

Perine last played for the Bengals in 2022, catching 38 passes for 287 yards and four scores. Joe Mixon still managed 1,255 yards from scrimmage that season despite missing three games. Assuming Perine plays a bit less than he did in 2022, there should still be plenty of meat left on the bone for Chase Brown to push for RB1 status. As Dehner Jr. notes, the Bengals don’t want Brown playing every snap of every game like he did down the stretch last year. That won’t happen in 2025, but Cincy’s light investments in competition for Brown bode well for his odds of staying hot in his third season. The Bengals’ only addition at running back via the draft was Tahj Brooks in the sixth round.