NY Jets sign fourth-round running back La’Mical Perine

The NY Jets have officially signed their fourth of nine draft picks in La’Mical Perine.

The NY Jets‘ 2020 NFL Draft class is beginning to take shape as the team officially announced the signing of fourth-round rookie running back La’Mical Perine on Thursday.

Perine is the fourth member of the Jets’ nine-person 2020 NFL Draft class to sign their rookie deal joining second-round pick Denzel Mims, fifth-round pick Cameron Clark, and sixth-round pick Braden Mann.

Perine’s deal is the standard four-year length and will be worth up to $4 million with a 2020 cap charge of $796,000, per Manish Mehta of the NY Daily News.

The Jets and the rest of the NFL have been slow to sign their rookie classes this year given the ongoing worldwide pandemic. Negotiations have had to take place virtually slowing what is typically a much quicker process.

Moreover, acquiring medicals has been a challenge — something that’s also affected the official signings of free agents. The Jets have thankfully had no reported issues with that, however, other teams have.

What could NY Jets fans expect from La’Mical Perine in 2020?

Perine will join a veteran-heavy backfield in which he will try and crack the rotation as a rookie. The committee will, of course, be led by Le’Veon Bell who enters his second year with the Jets in 2020.

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Bell struggled mightily in 2019 averaging an abysmal 3.2 yards per carry as the Jets finished with the No. 32 ranked running game in the NFL. The hope is that an improved offensive line could provide vast improvements to what was a disastrous running game last year.

Perhaps Perine could provide a bit of a boost as well.

Aside from Bell, he will also have to compete for snaps with veteran Frank Gore who joined the Jets on a one-year deal in the offseason. The ageless wonder has found success in Adam Gase’s offense in the past and will surely be ahead of Perine to begin the year.

But if Perine could make the most of his touches and force his way on to the field, then he might just be able to surpass Gore on the depth chart by the season’s end.

If Perine could establish himself as a fixture in the running back rotation in 2020, he might just be able to convince the Jets that he can hold a future role in the offense.

That remains to be seen, of course, but at least now he’s officially under contract.

Next. NY Jets: 4 players whose future with the team hinges on their health in 2020

Four down, five to go.

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