Samaje Perine
Samaje Perine (born September 16, 1995) is an American football running back for the Cincinnati Bengals of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football at Oklahoma, and was drafted by the Washington Redskins in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
Perine with the Washington Redskins in 2017 | |||||||||||||||
No. 34 – Cincinnati Bengals | |||||||||||||||
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Position: | Running back | ||||||||||||||
Personal information | |||||||||||||||
Born: | Jackson, Alabama | September 16, 1995||||||||||||||
Height: | 5 ft 11 in (1.80 m) | ||||||||||||||
Weight: | 240 lb (109 kg) | ||||||||||||||
Career information | |||||||||||||||
High school: | Pflugerville (TX) Hendrickson | ||||||||||||||
College: | Oklahoma | ||||||||||||||
NFL Draft: | 2017 / Round: 4 / Pick: 114 | ||||||||||||||
Career history | |||||||||||||||
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Roster status: | Active | ||||||||||||||
Career highlights and awards | |||||||||||||||
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Career NFL statistics as of 2019 | |||||||||||||||
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Early years
Perine was born and raised in Jackson, Alabama, but later moved with his family to Pflugerville, Texas, where he attended Hendrickson High School as a member of their football and track and field teams.[1][2] He was a three-year starter at running back for the Hendrickson Hawks football team. He rushed for 1,993 yards and 16 touchdowns as a junior. In his final year, he rushed for 1,492 yards and 12 touchdowns.[3]
In track & field, Perine competed in sprints and jumps. At the 2011 Manor Relay, he earned first-place finishes in both the triple jump (46 ft, 0.5 in) and long jump (20 ft, 8 in) events, while also anchoring the 4 × 100 and 4 × 200 relay squads, helping lead them to victory.[4] He recorded a personal-best time of 11.37 seconds in the 100-meter dash in 2011.[5]
Perine was ranked as a four-star recruit and the No. 13 running back in the nation by Rivals.com. In March 2013, he committed to the University of Oklahoma to play college football.[6][7] He also had offers from Alabama, Nebraska, TCU, and Tennessee.[1]
College career
Perine attended and played college football for the University of Oklahoma from 2014–2016.[8]
2014 season
Perine earned immediate playing time as a true freshman at Oklahoma in 2014.[9] In his first career game, he rushed for 77 yards on 13 carries with one touchdown in a victory over Louisiana Tech.[10] In his fourth game, he rushed 242 yards on 34 carries with four touchdowns.[11][12] He rushed for 200 yards a second time, gaining 213 on 25 carries along with three touchdowns against Texas Tech on November 15.[13] Perine rushed for 427 yards on 34 rushes along with six touchdowns in a victory over Kansas, breaking the NCAA FBS single game rushing record set by Wisconsin's Melvin Gordon just a week earlier.[14][15][16] He finished his freshman season with 1,713 rushing yards on 263 carries with 21 touchdowns.[17]
2015 season
Perine started the 2015 season with 33 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown in a victory over the Akron Zips.[18] In the next game, a 2OT win over the #23 Tennessee Volunteers at Neyland Stadium, he had 78 rushing yards and a receiving touchdown.[19] In the following game against Tulsa, he had 152 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown.[20] On October 24, against Texas Tech, he had a season-high 201 rushing yards and four rushing touchdowns.[21] He followed that up with 90 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns against Kansas in the next game.[22] On November 14, against Baylor, he had 166 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[23] He followed that performance up with 188 rushing yards and a rushing touchdown against TCU.[24] In the annual rivalry game against Oklahoma State, he had 131 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[25] Oklahoma qualified for the College Football Playoff in the 2015 season. They faced off against Clemson in the National Semifinals. In the 37–17 loss in the Orange Bowl, he had 58 rushing yards, one rushing touchdown, two receptions, and 23 receiving yards.[26] Overall, in the 2015 season, he finished with 1,349 rushing yards, 16 rushing touchdowns, 15 receptions, 107 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.[27]
2016 season
Perine started off the 2016 season with 31 rushing yards and 28 receiving yards in a loss to Houston.[28] The next week, he had 58 rushing yard, two rushing touchdowns, and 38 receiving yards in a win over Louisiana–Monroe.[29] On October 1, in a win over TCU, he had 214 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[30] On November 12, against Baylor, he had 100 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[31] In the following game at West Virginia, he had 160 rushing yards and two rushing touchdowns.[32] On December 3, in the Bedlam game, he had 239 rushing yards and a touchdown against Oklahoma State.[33] He broke the school career rushing yard record on January 2, 2017 with 86 rushing yards and a touchdown against Auburn at the Allstate Sugar Bowl passing Billy Sims with a total of 4,122 yards.[34][35] He finished the 2016 season with 1,060 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 10 receptions, 106 receiving yards, and one receiving touchdown.[36] After the season, Perine decided to forgo his senior year and enter the 2017 NFL Draft.[37]
Professional career
Height | Weight | Arm length | Hand size | 40-yard dash | 10-yard split | 20-yard split | 20-yard shuttle | Three-cone drill | Vertical jump | Broad jump | Bench press | |
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5 ft 10 5⁄8 in (1.79 m) |
233 lb (106 kg) |
30 3⁄8 in (0.77 m) |
10 in (0.25 m) |
4.65 s | 1.62 s | 2.70 s | 4.37 s | 7.26 s | 33 in (0.84 m) |
9 ft 8 in (2.95 m) |
30 reps | |
All values from NFL Combine[39][40] |
Washington Redskins
The Washington Redskins selected Perine in the fourth round (114th overall) of the 2017 NFL Draft.[41] He was the ninth running back selected in that year's draft.[42][43] On May 11, 2017, Perine signed a four-year, $3.05 million contract with the team.[44]
Perine joined a committee backfield of Chris Thompson, Robert Kelley, and Mack Brown. After the two starters combined for 34 yards in Week 1, Perine debuted September 17 against the Los Angeles Rams with 21 rushes for 67 yards.[45] Despite being granted the majority of the team's rushes, he had fewer yards than either Thompson (78) or Kelley (77).[46] In Week 3 against the Oakland Raiders, he again led the team in carries with 19 but for only 49 yards, and was moved back into a supporting role. Perine collected just 59 rushing yards total in Weeks 4-9, though he did pick up his first career touchdown on a three-yard reception from Kirk Cousins against San Francisco in Week 6.[47]
After nine rushes for 35 yards and a 25-yard reception in Week 9, Perine moved back to starting following injuries to both Thompson and Kelley.[48] He had success in Week 10 with 23 rushes for 117 yards, as well as his first career rushing touchdown against the New Orleans Saints,[49] marking the first 100-yard rushing game for the Redskins of the season. He followed this up the following week with 24 rushes for 100 yards against the New York Giants, marking first Redskin with consecutive yard games of over 100 yards since Alfred Morris in 2013.[50][51] Overall, he finished his rookie season with 603 rushing yards and one rushing touchdown to go along with 22 receptions for 182 yards and a receiving touchdown.[52]
In a backfield where new arrival Adrian Peterson recorded most of the carries, Perine had eight carries for 32 yards in five games in the 2018 season.[53][54] Perine was waived prior to the 2019 regular season on August 31.[55]
Cincinnati Bengals
On September 1, 2019, Perine was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals.[56] He was waived on October 17, 2019,[57] but re-signed to the team's practice squad the following day.[58]
Miami Dolphins
On December 24, 2019, Perine was signed by the Miami Dolphins off the Bengals practice squad.[59] He was waived on April 26, 2020.[60]
Cincinnati Bengals (second stint)
On April 28, 2020, Perine was claimed off waivers by the Cincinnati Bengals.[61]
Personal life
During his time in high school and Oklahoma, Perine was noted for his acts of great physical strength, such as helping lift a car to help a fellow student who did not have a car jack change a flat tire.[62] Jerry Schmidt, strength coach of the Sooners, stated that he could often out bench press most of the team's lineman, with his max being 440 lbs. Schmidt also noted that nobody else on the team was able to top Perine's max squat (540 lbs), power clean (380 lbs), or incline bench (315 lbs) numbers.[62][63]
Perine's cousin, Lamical Perine, played running back for the Florida Gators and was drafted by the New York Jets in 2020.[64]
References
- Aber, Ryan (May 11, 2013). "Oklahoma football: Why running back Samaje Perine turned down Alabama for OU". newsok.com. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- Emig, Guerin. "Birth of a bull: Samaje Perine's powerful running style was evident in high school". Tulsa World. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- Shadid, Trent (February 7, 2014). "Oklahoma coaches rave about Samaje Perine's combination of size and ability". NewsOK.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "2011 Results - Manor Relays 2011-03-04 TX - DyeStat.com TFX - The Internet Home of High School Track, Field and Cross Country". DyeStat.com.
- "District 16-5A Meet - Results (FAT) (Raw)". Texas MileSplit. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- "Watch List RB Perine commits to Sooners". ESPN.com. March 13, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- "Oklahoma football: Pflugerville Henderson's Samaje Perine commits to OU". Oklahoman.com. March 13, 2013. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- "Samaje Perine College Stats". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma football: Freshman running back Samaje Perine has always looked, played mature beyond his years". Oklahoman.com. September 15, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- "Louisiana Tech at Oklahoma Box Score, August 30, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma's Samaje Perine runs for 242 yards and four TDs in win over West Virginia". Yahoo! Sports. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- "OU football: Freshman running back Samaje Perine leads Sooners to 45-33 win over West Virginia". Oklahoman.com. September 20, 2014. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- Bailey, Eric. "Samaje Perine powers Oklahoma past Texas Tech". Tulsa World. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- Hinnen, Jerry (November 22, 2014). "Oklahoma's Samaje Perine sets new FBS rushing record with 427 yards". CBSSports.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- Trotter, Jake (November 22, 2014). "Samaje Perine breaks FBS record". ESPN.com. Retrieved November 22, 2014.
- "Kansas at Oklahoma Box Score, November 22, 2014". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Samaje Perine 2014 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Akron at Oklahoma Box Score, September 5, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma at Tennessee Box Score, September 12, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Tulsa at Oklahoma Box Score, September 19, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Texas Tech at Oklahoma Box Score, October 24, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma at Kansas Box Score, October 31, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma at Baylor Box Score, November 14, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Texas Christian at Oklahoma Box Score, November 21, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma at Oklahoma State Box Score, November 28, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Orange Bowl - Oklahoma vs Clemson Box Score, December 31, 2015". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Samaje Perine 2015 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma vs Houston Box Score, September 3, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Louisiana-Monroe at Oklahoma Box Score, September 10, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma at Texas Christian Box Score, October 1, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Baylor at Oklahoma Box Score, November 12, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma at West Virginia Box Score, November 19, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma State at Oklahoma Box Score, December 3, 2016". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Sugar Bowl - Auburn vs Oklahoma Box Score, January 2, 2017". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Oklahoma Sooners Rushing". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Samaje Perine 2016 Game Log". College Football at Sports-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- Sherman, Mitch (January 3, 2017). "Perine turns pro after setting OU rushing record". ESPN.com.
- "Samaje Perine". ESPN.com.
- "2017 NFL Draft Profile: Samaje Perine". NFL.com.
- "*Samaje Perine - Oklahoma, RB : 2017 NFL Draft Scout Player Profile". www.draftscout.com.
- Orr, Conor (April 29, 2017). "Redskins draft Oklahoma running back Samaje Perine". NFL.com.
- "2017 NFL Draft Listing". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- "Draft Finder Query Results". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 10, 2018.
- "Sportrac.com: Samaje Perine contract". sportrac.com. Retrieved May 15, 2017.
- "Philadelphia Eagles at Washington Redskins - September 10th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Washington Redskins at Los Angeles Rams - September 17th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved October 28, 2017.
- "San Francisco 49ers at Washington Redskins - October 15th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved November 5, 2017.
- "Minnesota Vikings at Washington Redskins - November 12th, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "Watch Washington Redskins vs. New Orleans Saints [11/19/2017] - NFL.com". www.nfl.com. Retrieved November 20, 2017.
- "New York Giants at Washington Redskins - November 23rd, 2017". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- Fendrich, Howard. "Samaje Perine gives Redskins back-to-back 100-yard games". Washington Post. Retrieved November 25, 2017.
- "Samaje Perine 2017 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved February 22, 2018.
- "2018 Washington Redskins Statistics & Players". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved July 27, 2019.
- "Samaje Perine 2018 Game Log". Pro-Football-Reference.com. Retrieved March 13, 2019.
- "Redskins Make Roster Moves". Redskins.com. August 31, 2019.
- Neel, Zachary. "Former Redskin Samaje Perine claimed by Cincinnati Bengals". Redskins Wire. USA Today. Retrieved September 1, 2019.
- "Bengals Sign Zettel, Waive Perine". Bengals.com. October 17, 2019.
- "Bengals Make Player Moves". Bengals.com. October 18, 2019. Retrieved October 19, 2019.
- Williams, Charean (December 23, 2019). "Dolphins sign Samaje Perine off Bengals' practice squad". Pro Football Talk. NBC Sports.
- Gantt, Darin (April 26, 2020). "Dolphins release four, including Samaje Perine". NBCSports.com. Retrieved April 28, 2020.
- "Bengals Acquire Samaje Perine And Austin Calitro On Waivers". Bengals.com. April 28, 2019.
- Keim, John (July 11, 2017). "Lifting a car, daredevil pullups: Redskins rookie's amazing feats of strength". ESPN.com. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- "IN OTHERS' WORDS: How Strong is Samaje?". soonersports.com. University of Oklahoma. Retrieved July 27, 2017.
- "Jets select Lamical Perine with No. 120 pick in NFL Draft 2020". New York Post. Retrieved April 25, 2020.