Former Bengals fan favorite painfully joins the dark side, signs with Chiefs

As the league entered its cutdown day and teams finalized their initial 53-man rosters, there arose a possibility of the Cincinnati Bengals being able to reunite with a familiar face. Former Bengals running back Samaje Perine was a likely cut candidate by the Denver Broncos, as new head coach Sean Payton was ultimately leaning in a different direction.

Perine ended up being cut, and would have made a lot of sense for the Bengals, who currently have Zack Moss and Chase Brown as their top two backs. Perine's familiarity with the team and offense would have made him a no-brainer type of signing.

Wednesday, though, Perine chose to go in a different direction.

In fact, Perine didn't just go in a different direction, he chose to go in the wrong direction.

Yes, Perine ultimately decided to sign with the Super Bowl Champion Kansas City Chiefs, a bitter Bengals rival.

In Kansas City, Perine will likely continue in his role of being a pass-catching back, mainly on third downs. The Chiefs have starter Isiah Pacheco and backup Clyde Edwards-Helaire, along with undrafted rookie Carson Steele. But, Perine should come in immediately and become a notable part of the offense.

Not signing Samaje Perine continues Bengals' offseason narrative at running back

The fact Cincinnati didn't wind up with Perine isn't a surprise. Look back at the 2024 NFL Draft, first and foremost. Going into the draft, the Bengals had 10 picks. They chose not to use a single draft pick on a running back, sticking with Moss, Brown and sixth-year pro Trayveon Williams.

All offseason long, the plan has remained the same. The Bengals were sticking with those three backs and had specific roles planned for each of them.

Williams is going to contribute mostly on special teams, but he has shown an ability to provide adequate depth in the back field, should the Bengals see Moss or Brown go down with an injury.

Adding a fan favorite would have been a nice story, but the Bengals chose continuity over a feel-good signing, in the end. These three running backs have been the plan all along, and Cincinnati stuck with their plan. Above all else, that shows clear direction and leadership from the coaching staff.

Now, come Week 2 when the Bengals and Chiefs face off against one another, it'll be cause for Bengals fans to root hard against their former running back. Once you sign with the Chiefs, you become the enemy. Those are the rules.