Samaje Perine, I think, is a key player as we move to end of August. It’s looking like the Broncos could be done with him, and that would put Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin in position to dramatically outperform where they’re selected.
Perine is a good third-down back. He caught 50 passes last year. And if he’s not filling that role, Williams and McLaughlin should get a lot more involved as pass catchers.
The pass-catching production won’t simply be disappearing into the ether (particularly with the team’s passing production likely increasing). Sean Payton more than any other coach is a fan of pumping passes to running backs. Pierre Thomas, Reggie Bush, Darren Sproles – he likes putting stress on defenses in that way.
Denver last year completed a league-high 131 passes to running backs. In his 16 years has a head coach, 10 teams have completed at least 130 passes to running backs, and he’s coached all but two of them. All but two of his teams have completed at least 120 passes to the running back position.
| TEAMS WITH 120 COMPLETIONS TO RUNNING BACKS | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Team | No | Yds | Avg | TD |
| 2013 | • New Orleans | 171 | 1,244 | 7.3 | 6 |
| 2011 | • New Orleans | 158 | 1,231 | 7.8 | 10 |
| 2006 | • New Orleans | 158 | 1,250 | 7.9 | 5 |
| 2019 | LA Chargers | 148 | 1,357 | 9.2 | 10 |
| 2017 | • New Orleans | 143 | 1,254 | 8.8 | 6 |
| 2007 | • New Orleans | 143 | 872 | 6.1 | 3 |
| 2015 | Detroit | 135 | 1,216 | 9.0 | 5 |
| 2015 | LA Chargers | 134 | 1,147 | 8.6 | 6 |
| 2014 | • New Orleans | 132 | 939 | 7.1 | 4 |
| 2023 | Denver | 131 | 851 | 6.5 | 4 |
| 2020 | LA Chargers | 129 | 890 | 6.9 | 4 |
| 2010 | LA Chargers | 128 | 1,026 | 8.0 | 3 |
| 2015 | Philadelphia | 128 | 878 | 6.9 | 3 |
| 2013 | Atlanta | 127 | 831 | 6.5 | 6 |
| 2015 | Baltimore | 127 | 879 | 6.9 | 6 |
| 2016 | • New Orleans | 127 | 884 | 7.0 | 10 |
| 2015 | • New Orleans | 127 | 1,064 | 8.4 | 3 |
| 2019 | Carolina | 124 | 1,068 | 8.6 | 4 |
| 2006 | LA Rams | 124 | 1,094 | 8.8 | 4 |
| 2019 | • New Orleans | 124 | 824 | 6.6 | 2 |
| 2011 | LA Chargers | 123 | 977 | 7.9 | 3 |
| 2006 | Philadelphia | 122 | 1,063 | 8.7 | 6 |
| 2019 | New England | 121 | 1,134 | 9.4 | 6 |
| 2018 | New England | 121 | 999 | 8.3 | 8 |
| 2017 | New England | 120 | 919 | 7.7 | 9 |
| 2008 | • New Orleans | 120 | 936 | 7.8 | 9 |
| 2020 | Washington | 120 | 848 | 7.1 | 2 |
There’s been no official word on Perine, who’s still listed as the team’s No. 2 tailback on the team-supplied depth chart. But that’s looking pretty meaningless, with Bo Nix on the same chart listed as the third-string quarterback.
In the first two games of the preseason, Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin have logged almost all of the playing time with the first-unit offense. I believe Perine has been in there for only one play, tending instead to come in later in games.
Williams (who’s in a contract year) looks locked in as the team’s starter, and McLaughlin to me looks like he’s ready for a bigger role. I think those guys are going to be the combo. They’ll want to keep Audric Estime (and maybe Tyler Badie), which could put Perine on the chopping block.
Williams has caught 2 passes in the preseason, plus a touchdown that was waved off after the officials figured out that Nix had passed the line of scrimmage before he threw the ball. He seems to catch it just fine.
McLaughlin (pictured) has caught 3 passes, including one where he snuck down the field for a 22-yarder. He came up short on his only other target, with the ball bouncing off his chest on a short-range screen pass that easily could have been intercepted. But I think they’re going to roll with McLaughlin as one of the busier second backs in the league. With his passing-game production, I think he’ll be sneaky good in PPR formats.
Perine impressively averaged 9.1 yards per catch last year, and he’s long been regarded as one of the better pass-protection backs in the league. If the Broncos don’t want him, some other team will pick him up (perhaps his former team, the Bengals). But it’s seeming like Denver is ready to turn the page.
I’m not going to re-scroll through the plays, but I believe Perine has gotten on the field for only one play with the first-unit offense so far, and it didn’t go well. He bobbled a throw at Indianapolis that ended up getting picked. I don’t think that particular play is particularly significant, but I’m thinking Perine’s third-down work this year will be with a team other than Denver.
—Ian Allan