Cedric Peerman

Bengals Place Cedric Peerman On IR

The Bengals have placed running back Cedric Peerman on injured reserve, the team announced on Tuesday. Peerman suffered a shoulder injury while covering a punt on Sunday night. Cedric Peerman (Vertical)

Peerman, a special teams specialist, also missed the first ten games of the 2016 season with a broken forearm. He was activated off of the Bengals’ injured reserve last year, but there’s no indication as to whether he’ll be able to return from this latest ailment. Peerman earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 for his special teams work, so he’ll certainly be missed on the field in Cincinnati.

Peerman’s deal expires after the 2017 season and he’ll have only six games of experience between the 2015 and 2016 seasons to show teams as he tries to land his next contract in the spring.

AFC North Rumors: Ravens, Jernigan, Browns

The Ravens should only trade Timmy Jernigan if they can get a second-day draft pick in return, and that seems unlikely, Jeff Zrebiec of The Baltimore Sun writes. There has been speculation that the defensive tackle could be on the block and coach John Harbaugh didn’t do much to slow down that talk when asked about it earlier this week. Jernigan, who is entering his contract year, appeared in every regular season game last season and totaled five sacks. He seemed to run out of gas towards the end of the season and his playing time was slashed down the stretch, but he still stands as Baltimore’s only interior pass-rush threat.

Here’s more from the AFC North:

Dallas Robinson contributed to this post.

Bengals Re-Sign RB Cedric Peerman

The Bengals are re-signing running back Cedric Peerman, Zac Jackson of TheAthletic.com tweets. The Bengals have confirmed the news and say it’s a one year deal. Cedric Peerman (Vertical)

Peerman, 31 in October, fractured his arm during preseason last year. He missed the first three months of the 2016 campaign before being activated from IR. In his six games, Peerman was primarily used on special teams and had only six carries. This year, with Rex Burkhead out of the equation, it’s possible that he could see some more snaps on offense. Peerman earned a Pro Bowl nod in 2015 for his special teams work.

The Bengals now have four running backs under contract: Jeremy Hill, Giovani Bernard, Tra Carson, and Peerman.

Bengals Activate Cedric Peerman

The Bengals have activated running back Cedric Peerman from the injured reserve, reports Jim Owczarski of the Cincinnati Inquirer (via Twitter). The team has also promoted long snapper Tyler Ott to the active roster. To make room, the team has waived defensive tackle DeShawn Williams.

Cedric Peerman (Vertical)The Peerman news isn’t much of a surprise, as the Bengals designated the running back as their player to return from the injured reserve. The veteran fractured his left arm during the preseason, shelving him for the first three months of the season.

The former Pro Bowler will make an instant impact on the Bengals’ struggling special teams unit, and he’ll also provide some depth to a running back corps that recently lost Giovani Bernard for the season. Of course, it’s unlikely the 30-year-old sees any snaps at running back behind Jeremy Hill and Rex Burkhead. Despite playing 16 games last season, Peerman didn’t get a single carry, and he only has 64 career carries in his seven-year career.

Starting long snapper Clark Harris is doubtful for this weekend’s game, necessitating Ott’s promotion. The Harvard product will be playing in his second NFL game, as he served as the Giants snapper during last year’s regular season finale. The 24-year-old has also spent time with the Patriots and Rams.

Williams, an undrafted rookie out of Clemson in 2015, has been inactive for every Bengals game this season. Owczarski notes that the defensive tackle’s tenure in Cincinnati is likely over, as the 23-year-old is unlikely to clear waivers.

Bengals Pick RB Cedric Peerman For Return

The Bengals announced that they have designated running back Cedric Peerman to return. Teams only get one IR-DTR move per season, so today’s news means that we will not see rookie cornerback William Jackson III take the field this season. Cedric Peerman (Vertical)

So far this year, the Bengals’ secondary has been lackluster, leading some to believe that Jackson would get the nod. However, the team is also hurting in the third facet of the game. Peerman is a special teams stalwart for Cincinnati and the Bengals decided that they would benefit more from having him on the field than the young Houston product.

When Rams quarterback Jared Goff made his debut earlier this month, Jackson was the only 2016 first-round pick who was still waiting to take the field. Now, he has solidified the unfortunate distinction. Jackson will turn his focus to 2017 when he hopes to propel the Bengals’ defense with his exceptional speed.

At 3-6-1, the Bengals are not likely to make the playoffs, but they also haven’t been mathematically eliminated. After losing Giovani Bernard for the season and losing A.J. Green for multiple games, the Bengals are sending a message today that they are not giving up on 2016.

AFC North Notes: Bengals, Jackson III, Ravens

The Bengals haven’t yet made a decision on which player they will bring back from injured reserve, as Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com writes. Cincinnati has two options for IR/return — first-round cornerback William Jackson III and veteran running back Cedric Peerman — and both are “essentially healthy,” per Terrell, meaning the Bengals are simply biding their time before choosing between the two.

“Obviously the first-round pick is an asset, and you want to get him involved,” said head coach Marvin Lewis. “We’ve had him all year since he’s been back from Houston and since the surgery, so to keep him invested in the football team.” The Bengals’ secondary has been below-average, meaning Jackson — who will the only 2016 first-rounder who hasn’t seen the field after Jared Goff starts for the Rams tomorrow — would be a welcome option. But Cincinnati’s sub-par special teams unit is missing its ace in Peerman, making the decision between the pair all the more difficult.

Here’s more on the Bengals and the rest of the AFC North:

  • Defensive tackle Brandon Thompson will return to practice next week, said Lewis, opening a three-week window during which the Bengals can choose to transfer Thompson from the PUP list to the active roster. Thompson suffered a torn ACL in the 2015 season finale after spending the year as a reserve, appearing in nine games and acting as a run-stuffer. If Cincinnati doesn’t opt to active Thompson in the next three weeks, he’ll either need to stay on PUP for the rest of season or be waived.
  • Because Crockett Gillmore is dealing with an injury, the Ravens have continually added a tight end to their practice squad in recent weeks to ensure that they have enough bodies for practice sessions, as Jeff Zrebiec of the Baltimore Sun notes (all Twitter links). Quarterback David Fales has been the victim in such scenarios, having been repeatedly dropped from the taxi squad to create room for a tight end. That series of transactions will likely end next week, per Zrebiec, as TE Nick Boyle will be eligible to return from a 10-game PED suspension.
  • The Steelers made a number of moves earlier today, placing wide receiver Markus Wheaton and defensive end Cameron Heyward on injured reserve while activating edge rusher Bud Dupree from IR and promoting running back Daryl Richardson from the practice squad.
  • Yesterday, Browns head coach Hue Jackson said it would be a “coup” if Cleveland could retain recently-acquired linebacker Jamie Collins, and also indicated that quarterback Robert Griffin III would begin practicing next week.

Sunday NFL Transactions: AFC North

Listed below are the Sunday roster moves for the four AFC North teams. Following the 53-man roster cutdown deadline yesterday, many teams will make slight tweaks to their rosters, claiming players off waivers or signing guys who clear waivers. Those transactions for the Ravens, Bengals, Browns, and Steelers are noted below.

Additionally, as of 12:00pm CT today, teams can begin constructing their 10-man practice squads. You can check out our glossary entry on practice squads to brush up on those changes, as well as all the other guidelines that govern the 10-man units, whose players practice with the team but aren’t eligible to suit up on Sundays.

Here are Sunday’s AFC North transactions, which will continue to be updated throughout the day. All links go to Twitter unless otherwise noted:

Baltimore Ravens

Cincinnati Bengals

Cleveland Browns

Pittsburgh Steelers

Bengals’ Cedric Peerman Fractures Arm

The Bengals have confirmed that running back Cedric Peerman suffered a fractured left arm during tonight’s preseason game against the Jaguars, according to Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link).Cedric Peerman (Vertical)

[RELATED: Latest On Injured TE Tyler Eifert]

While Cincinnati didn’t announce a recovery timetable for Peerman, it’s likely that such an injury will be a season-ender. Peerman will probably go on injured reserve, and while the NFL’s new IR rules would allow the Bengals to bring Peerman back in the middle of the season without designating him to return immediately, the club has other candidates for that spot. As Katherine Terrell of ESPN.com tweets, Cincinnati is likely saving its IR/return slot for first-round corner William Jackson III, who suffered a torn pectoral during training camp.

Peerman, 29, is a running back in-name-only, as he didn’t rush the ball a single time in 2015. In six NFL seasons, in fact, Peerman has seen only 64 carries, with the majority of those coming in two seasons. But Peerman is still an extremely valuable player, as he’s probably the most important member of Darrin Simmons‘ special teams unit in Cincinnati. Perrman played on nearly two-thirds of the Bengals’ ST snaps last year, and was named to the Pro Bowl for his efforts.

Peerman is entering the final year of his current contract with the Bengals, and will count $1.21MM on the salary cap this season.

Photo courtesy of USA Today Sports Images.

AFC North Notes: Manziel, Reid, Peerman

Earlier today we heard that Johnny Manziel was released from rehab, but he returns to a very different Browns’ team than he left, writes Tony Grossi of ESPNCleveland.com. The offensive coordinator, quarterbacks coach, and receivers coach all changed over, and quarterback Brian Hoyer has been replaced by Josh McCown and Thaddeus Lewis.

Should Manziel win a starting job, he will not have Miles Austin or Jordan Cameron to throw to. Instead, Dwayne Bowe, Brian Hartline, and Rob Housler will be lining up for the Browns on offense.

Here are a few other notes from around the AFC North:

  • While the Browns have a long way to go to improve at quarterback and on offense, Tom Reed of Cleveland.com writes that improving at punt returner will be an easy way to help the offense. Last year the team struggled to to find a player who could even successfully field punts, and eventually put Jim Leonhard back there giving up the hope of a big play return. With electric players like Tyler Lockette, Jamison Crowder, and Nelson Agholor likely to be available on day two or three in the draft, they could provide value as a returner while they work their way onto the field as receivers.
  • Prairie View quarterback Jerry Lovelocke will work out for the Ravens at their local prospect day on April 21st, writes Aaron Wilson of the Baltimore Sun. He could be in consideration during the later rounds of the draft or as a rookie free agent.
  • Jah Reid‘s one-year deal with the Ravens is worth $745,000 and includes another $400,000 in playing time incentives that are not likely to be earned, according to Wilson (via Twitter).
  • With A.J. Green, Marvin Jones, and Mohamed Sanu all entering the final years of their respective contracts, the Bengals should be looking for a receiver early in the 2015 NFL Draft. Paul Dehner Jr. of Cincinnati.com has outlined a number of top prospects that could be intriguing to the team, and picks out Devin Smith, Phillip Dorsett, and Tyler Lockette as logical fits if they are available in the second round.
  • Running back Cedric Peerman re-signed with the Bengals on Thursday with a two-year deal worth $2.13MM, according to Wilson (via Twitter). He will earn $745,000 and $885,000 in salaries over the next two seasons, plus an annual workout bonus of $50,000 and $300,000 in an unlikely to be earned rushing yards incentive foreach season (via Twitter). Wilson also passes along his salary-cap figures for the next two seasons (via Twitter).

Bengals Re-Sign Cedric Peerman

2:25pm: The Bengals have officially re-signed Peerman, according to the club (Twitter link).

9:13am: After paying a visit to the Eagles this week, free agent running back Cedric Peerman will be re-signing with the Bengals later today, reports Paul Dehner Jr. of the Cincinnati Enquirer (Twitter link). Details of Peerman’s new deal aren’t yet known, but I wouldn’t expect more than a modest one-year contract.

Peerman, 28, has spent the last five seasons with the Bengals, appearing in 68 games for the team during that stretch. Although he’s listed on the depth chart as a running back, the former sixth-round pick plays sparingly on offense, appearing in just 44 offensive snaps in 2014, according to Pro Football Focus (subscription required).

While his offensive contributions are limited, Peerman excels on special teams, having recorded at least nine tackles in kick and punt coverage in each of the last four seasons. In 2014, he racked up an impressive 21 total special teams tackles, including three in the Bengals’ Wild Card game, per PFF.

With Jeremy Hill and Giovani Bernard set to return and dominate the backfield touches in 2015, Peerman once again figures to play a much bigger role on special teams than on offense.