Perine gained five yards on three carries in Saturday's preseason win over the Buccaneers.
The 25-year-old handled only the Bengals' second possession after Joe Mixon was on the field for the first, and the fact that Perine didn't see more snaps is a good sign he's locked into the No. 2 spot on the depth chart. Perine had a big finish to 2020 but would need another Mixon injury to see significant touches during the regular season.