Perine likely will work as Cincinnati's lead back Sunday against the Browns, after teammate Joe Mixon tested positive for the coronavirus Wednesday, Chase Goodbread of NFL.com reports.
Mixon will be placed on the reserve/COVID-19 list and is expected to miss his first game of the season, with the Bengals unlikely to rush him back even if he's able to quickly clear the NFL's COVID-19 return-to-play protocol. Quarterback Joe Burrow (knee) said he'll be rested for the regular-season finale, so it's a good bet other key Bengals will be held out or play only limited snaps this weekend. Still, it's an excellent opportunity for Perine, who has 55 carries for 246 yards (4.5 YPC) and a touchdown this season, plus 27 catches for 196 yards on 31 targets. He's seen a lot of his playing time on third downs with Mixon enjoying a relatively healthy season, but Perine is far from a passing-down specialist. Cincinnati's other backfield options sans Mixon would be Chris Evans and Trayveon Williams.