10-21-2022, 12:31 PM
(10-21-2022, 12:26 PM)tms Wrote: Perine is a 3D back for a reason. He has shown no capacity for a full workload as a pro. He was never drafted to be a feature. He is also 27 years old in a league that increasingly favors 25 and younger (Mixon is 26). He is as vanilla as it gets. On the other hand, you are sort of preaching to the choir. If we spent a Day 3 on a new RB every year, I wouldn't be against that strategy. The difference is we'd need to bring them in from Week 1, and integrate them accordingly, as opposed to throwing them into the fire midway through the year and forcing them to adapt to a whole host of new responsibilities as we'd be doing with SAMUEL PERINE.
Mixon has never been my favorite player but he is completely underrated by fans these days. The guy is borderline PBer. He's equally deployable as a feature or in the margins. He doesn't crack under the spotlight, nor does he demand touches- but he can handle them. He's a steady, bona fide contributor to a Super Bowl team. Perine is a backup whose most productive season when he was a freshman almost a decade ago. There is no comparison.
I do understand your position, and agree with parts of it. I will still contend that if Mixon were cut today, pushing Perine into the starting spot, the overall production would largely be the same. Now, part of what I prefer is that Perine not be a feature back but part of a committee. I don't want a feature back - run Perine, Evans and ??? out there. Or, remove Perine and run another ??? out there. I don't care. The Bengals do not have elite talent in their RB room currently and can get this production elsewhere.
Grabbing a day three guy often, like you suggested, would be fine. Every few years, grab another late round guy and plug & play. You won't get elite play, but you don't need elite play at RB. Serviceable is just as good from a team success standpoint.
