Bengals free agency prediction and fan poll: Samaje Perine

The big names on the Cincinnati Bengals offense get a lot of the credit (and rightfully so), but a big contributor that doesn’t make as many headlines could be on his way out of Cincinnati this spring.

Samaje Perine filled in nicely for the injured Joe Mixon this season. In fact, one could argue that the Bengals rushing attack was most effective when Perine was the lead running back. Perine’s contract expires when the new league year begins on March 15th, leaving Duke Tobin and co. with a decision to make.

With Duke Tobin’s recent comments about Joe Mixon, it appears the running back room in Cincinnati could look much different next season.

Perine racked up 681 all-purpose yards and six total touchdowns last season. In the Bengals' pass-happy offense and with him being the second back, those numbers are actually fairly impressive.

My opinion: It pains me to say this, as someone who likes Joe Mixon so much, but I am one of the people who believe the Bengals ran the ball more effectively with Perine as RB1. Joe Mixon’s cap hit is too high for the production we saw last season. I don’t expect him to be too interested in restructuring for a pay cut, so I predict he could leave this offseason. If that is the case, I would expect Perine to not only be back in Cincinnati next season, but potentially as the lead back.

Will the Bengals re-sign Perine?

Prediction: Yes

Do you think Perine will be back in stripes next season? Vote below!