Perine is the kind of back coaches trust because he understands the whole job. He averaged a career-best 4.6 yards per carry last season, can protect Burrow, catches the checkdown cleanly and has enough power for short yardage. He even handled kickoffs when needed. I have him at a six: a very useful veteran role player, not somebody you want building the offense around at 30. The one thing that cannot carry over is the ball security. Three fumbles on a limited workload, with two lost, is too many for a player whose value is supposed to be reliability.
Strengths: Perine is a sturdy pass protector, dependable outlet receiver and decisive downhill runner. His experience lets him handle situational football, and his 4.6 rushing average in 2025 showed there is still useful efficiency in the legs.
Weaknesses: He lacks home-run speed and is unlikely to create explosive gains on his own. Three fumbles last season were a serious blemish, and age makes workload management important.
