Early Thursday afternoon, it was announced that the Pittsburgh Steelers were signing RB La’Mical Perine. Perine comes to Pittsburgh after getting cut by the Kansas City Chiefs late last week. He was selected by the New York Jets in the fourth round of the 2020 NFL Draft. Through four seasons with the Jets and Chiefs, Perine has played in 17 regular season games with one start and has carried the ball 94 times for 340 yards (3.6 YPC) and 2 touchdowns, and has caught 14 passes on 20 targets for 96 yards. Last season, Perine carried the ball 22 times for 77 yards and added 3 receptions for 33 yards, playing 59 offensive snaps as well as 55 snaps on special teams.
When you pop in the tape on Perine, you see a back that possesses good size, standing 5106, 216 pounds. That size and strength makes him a capable back in short yardage and goal line situations. Here’s one example during his time with the Jets where Perine shows off his skill set as a goal line back, taking the handoff against the Los Angeles Chargers on the 5-yard line and makes a jump cut to get into the hole of the defense and proceeds to evade one attempted tackle while fighting through one defender’s diving tackle attempt at the goal line to get in the end zone for the score.
Perine only ran a 4.62 40-yard dash at the 2020 NFL Combine, and that shows up on tape as his long speed is limited. However, he does possess enough burst to get to the corner against defenses like in the clips below, managing to bounce both carries to the outside against the Bills and Falcons and get in for the score. In the second clip against the Cleveland Browns, we see Perine take the handoff and counter back to his right, showing quick burst to get to the corner against the defense and get upfield along the sideline before being tripped up by the defensive back diving at his ankles to cap off his explosive run.
When it comes to running between the tackles, Perine is best utilized when he gets to make one cut and get up the field. He possesses some wiggle as a runner, but that elusiveness is limited. Watch this rep against Cleveland where Perine takes the handoff on the inside draw and attempts to cut back to his left, cutting right back into the linebacker who makes the tackle on him in the open field. The cutback lane was there with one man to beat, but Perine may have been best served to continue on his path and get a couple more yards by following his blocks and taking what was blocked for him.
While the passing game production has only been modest for Perine at this stage of his NFL career, he’s proven that he has the pass catching chops to operate well in that facet of the game when called upon. He has soft hands and can catch the ball outside of his framework both in the screen game as well as out on routes. Check out the clips below of Perine making catches in the flat against Cleveland with the second clip showing Perine making the catch and turns upfield, breaking out of an ankle tackle by a defender as he breaks another tackle attempt and picks up a key block by his teammate to get into the end zone for the score.
Not only is Perine a capable pass catcher, but he also is a capable pass protector, having the size, strength and anchor to step in against blitzing linebackers and safeties and keep his quarterback clean in the pocket. Check out this rep against the New Orleans Saints where we see Perine fake the handoff on the play action and step right into the block on the linebacker with the center, working together to escort the defender out of the pocket and keep their quarterback clean to step up in the pocket and complete the pass to his intended target over the middle.
La’Mical Perine is a well-rounded back that brings a big body and passing down skill set to Pittsburgh’s running back room. He lacks great speed, quickness and his vision can be inconsistent, explaining his journeyman status thus far in the league since getting drafted in the fourth round by the New York Jets. Still, he is a capable short yardage/goal line back that displays good contact balance as well as shows some deceptive burst in the open field as a runner, traits that he put on display during his time in college with the Florida Gators.
Perine will likely be competing for a practice squad spot on Pittsburgh’s roster with their top three backs on the depth chart being nearly set in stone with Najee Harris, Jaylen Warren and Cordarrelle Patterson. He will be competing with the likes of Jonathan Ward who was also just signed, as well as Daijun Edwards and Aaron Shampklin. If Perine wants to make this team’s roster or practice squad, he will need to continue to show his well-rounded skill set as a runner, pass catcher and pass protector. Playing some special teams for Danny Smith this preseason could also help his case to stick on the roster as he looks to separate himself from the rest of the names on Pittsburgh’s depth chart.
