NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Broncos are expected to move on from RB Samaje Perine. The team is reportedly trying to trade the veteran before Tuesday's deadline to cut rosters down. But Perine looks like a release candidate if a deal doesn't happen.
This has been an expected move, basically since Denver drafted Audric Estime in Round 5.
There's been buzz all offseason around second-year RB Jaleel McLaughlin, who flashed in limited duty last year. And Javonte Williams has generated buzz since the start of training camp.
He looks like a bounce-back candidate two years after his nasty 2022 knee injury.
With Estime rounding out the top three and McLaughlin likely set for more receiving-down usage, Denver doesn't need the nearly 29-year-old Perine -- who served primarily as a third-down back last year.
Cincinnati has been commonly connected as a potential suitor if Denver let Perine go. It would certainly make sense, given the Bengals' shallow new Zack Moss-Chase Brown led backfield.
We'll see where Perine lands before determining if there's any reason to be interested in him in fantasy this season.
McLaughlin and Williams are at least mild winners here. A Perine move will signal that Denver coaches believe in Williams and McLaughlin through passing-down situations. (Estime showed limited value in that area in college.)
That's arguably a bigger potential win for McLaughlin, who figures to need receiving work more than Williams does to reach fantasy relevance.
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