Bengals should copy recent Chiefs trade to get Samaje Perine (2024)

The Cincinnati Bengals have a run-game problem.

As a team, they have the third least yards on the ground so far this season, and they’re averaging only 3.5 yards per carry. They also haven’t had many explosive running plays. In fact, they’ve only had one carry over 20 yards (22 yards is the longest carry on the season).

There’s another issue. Joe Mixon has carried the ball 84 times out of the team’s 106 rushing attempts. Joe Burrow has 12; the next running back is Trayveon Williams with five. That’s an 81% snap share. If he keeps that up, he’ll be worn out by Week 10.

This is why the top folks at the front office for the Bengals should be on the phone with the Denver Broncos immediately to inquire about trading for Samaje Perine.

Perine, who left the Bengals in free agency after the 2022 season came to an end, signed a two-year, $7.5 million contract with $3 million guaranteed with the Denver Broncos. Before that, he was the Bengals' primary receiving and blocking back while getting 36% of the carries out of the backfield.

He supposedly went to Denver because he wanted to be a more important part of the offense rather than a change-of-pace back. However, he has fewer carries than Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin.

On top of that, Denver is 1-5 in a division with the Chiefs, Raiders, and Chargers and is being embarrassed week in and week out. Their trade for Russell Wilson is going to go down as one of, if not the worst trade in NFL history. Anything they can do to add draft capital and move on from this nightmare of a situation is in their best interest.

Perine could not only be a more reliable backup to Mixon, but he brings the ability to block in the backfield, he knows the offense, and he comes already included with trust from the coaching staff and quarterback, which is something guys like Williams, Chris Evans, and rookie Chase Brown obviously lack.

Why not give up a day three pick for a luxury Denver has no business hanging on to? The Broncos get something out of this disaster of a season, and the Bengals get someone who can help them win a Super Bowl in the next two seasons?

In fact, Cincinnati can look at what their biggest rival just did for how to make this trade work.

Mecole Hardman was a key player in the Chiefs’ offense from 2019-22, a run that saw them make three Super Bowls, winning two, and narrowly losing in the conference championship the other year to...you guessed it. Samaje Perine and the Bengals.

Like Perine, Hardman’s rookie contract expired this offseason, so he signed a one-year deal with the New York Jets for $4 million. But with the Jets offense a mess without Aaron Rodgers, Hardman was barely used.

And with the Chiefs’ passing game not being what we’re accustomed to, they decided to aid that by trading for Hardman.

To do so, the Chiefs gave up almost nothing, sending a 2025 sixth-round draft pick to the Jets for Hardman and a 2025 seventh-round pick.

Wouldn’t you say Perine’s value in the Bengals offense is worth something similar, say trading their 2024 or 2025 sixth-rounder for Perine and the Broncos’ seventh-rounder in 2024 or 2025?

Don’t forget the Bengals are projected to get compensatory picks in the fifth and sixth rounds in 2024, so they should have extra picks to work with anyhow.

So, who do I gotta call to get this set up?

What say you Bengals fans? Sound off in the comments section!