La'Mical Perine knows the path to Chiefs' 53-man roster is pass protection
Kansas City Chiefs RB La'Mical Perine has seemingly ascended the team's depth chart, but the former fourth-round draft pick knows that he needs to continue working in order to stay there. Last year, Perine joined the practice squad during the playoffs and mostly spent his time learning the playbook. Now, with an entire offseason under […]
Kansas City Chiefs RB La'Mical Perine has seemingly ascended the team's depth chart, but the former fourth-round draft pick knows that he needs to continue working in order to stay there.
Last year, Perine joined the practice squad during the playoffs and mostly spent his time learning the playbook. Now, with an entire offseason under his belt, he feels like he has a better understanding of the scheme and what he needs to do in order to be successful.
As the fourth-year running back prepares for the preseason finale, he knows that consistency matters most and that his path to the 53-man roster runs through one key aspect of his game.
"Being sure I can pass protect," Perine told reporters. "I feel like a lot of guys don’t realize how valuable that is. Having a big-time quarterback back there just being able to protect him. I feel like if I could do that, that would help me make the roster.”
He's not wrong either. The Chiefs have placed a premium on running backs who can pass-protect and do it well. It's one of the reasons that Jerick McKinnon has been such a valuable asset in Kansas City for several seasons. But with 17-game regular seasons and extended play in the postseason, the team needs more than one player who can excel in this area.
Perine proved to be assignment sounds in both preseason Week 1 and Week 2, which eventually led to his playing ahead of rookie RB Deneric Prince.
Ultimately, the job isn't finished for Perine. He has one more week of practice and one game left where he can make an impression on the coaching staff. He'll also have plenty of competition from his teammates in the running back room.
“All the guys in our running back room come in and work every day," Perine said. "Clyde (Edwards-Helaire), Jet (Jerick McKinnon), D-Prince (Deneric Prince), (Isiah) Pacheco, everybody works. I just feed off of those guys, we feed off each other and I feel like if you can continue to do that, that’ll make a great room.”
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The Chiefs may end up doing it.
Featured image via NFL Plus
