Report: Broncos make first big decision in their running back room

The Denver Broncos have made their first big decision in the running back room for the 2024 season.

And veteran Samaje Perine won’t be on the team.

NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport says the Broncos don’t have Perine in their plans moving forward, and will look to trade him in the next 24 hours. If that doesn’t happen, they’ll cut Perine.

The #Broncos are expected to move on from respected 8-year veteran RB Samaje Perine, sources say. The team is engaged in a number of trade conversations around Perine and it could be a trade, rather than a release.

A numbers crunch in the RB room, so he’s available in a trade. pic.twitter.com/hvFFHaQ2Ui

— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) August 26, 2024

The numbers crunch is essentially that head coach Sean Payton really like Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin, plus he spent a fifth-round pick on rookie running back Audric Estime. Perine just isn’t in Payton’s plans, after he had a decent season in 2023, mostly as a safety blanket for Russell Wilson.

Perine ran the ball 53 times for 238 yards and a touchdown, but also caught 50 passes for 455 yards, which were both easily career-highs.

Instead, it’ll be Williams likely as the lead running back, after he lost 11 pounds this summer and is hoping to return to the form that saw Broncos fans very excited in 2021. Williams shredded his knee in 2022, and didn’t look like himself a season ago.

McLaughlin and Estime are both young and relatively cheap, and that’s how most running back rooms are around the NFL now. If the Broncos can’t trade Perine and release him, they’ll save $3 million against the salary cap. If they do move him, a late-round draft pick next year is the hope.

Unfortunately for Perine, he just didn’t make sense for Denver to keep. However, he should find a new team fairly quickly.