Less than a week after being released by the Kansas City Chiefs, La'Mical Perine has found a new NFL home. The veteran running back has signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers, according to Perine's agent.
Perine, 26, is the cousin of former Steelers linebacker Myles Jack and Broncos running back Samaje Perine. A 2020 fourth-round pick, Perine spent his first two seasons with the Jets before he was added to the Chiefs' practice squad in 2022.
While he was rarely active during his time with the Chiefs, Perine did get a chance to start in Kansas City's final game of the 2023 regular season. He played well, rushing for 77 yards and catching three passes for 33 yards in the Chiefs' 13-12 loss to the Chargers.
Perine's college years were spent at Florida, where he scored 30 touchdowns and averaged 5 yards per carry over four seasons. In his final college game, Perine rushed for 138 yards and two touchdowns on just 13 carries while helping lead the Gators to an Orange Bowl victory over Virginia.
While not terribly fast, Perine has good agility that makes him tough to bring down in open space. He also has solid vision and strength that sometimes enables him to get more out of a play then what was initially expected.
Perine joins a Steelers backfield that is led by Najee Harris and Jaylen Warren, who ran for a combined 1,819 yards and 12 touchdowns in 2023. Pittsburgh's backfield also currently includes Cordarrelle Patterson, Jonathan Ward, Aaron Shampklin and rookie Daijun Edwards.