Perriman adds to his confidence, roster chances
zone after ... two years?” Perriman said, chuckling. He has scored so rarely that it was not hard to remember his last touchdown, a 53-yard catch-and-run against the Miami Dolphins on Dec. 4, 2016.
He continued: “Definitely a confidence booster, man. Just feeling great. A great feeling. Just thankful that R.G. threw me the great pass that he did in the end zone, and every other pass he [threw] to me was just perfect. Just thankful for God for me being here.”
Perriman is a man of faith. He believes God has a plan for him. But as Perriman counted his blessings in the Ravens locker room at M&T Bank Stadium, his gratitude seemed specific.
“Because I've been hurt,” he continued, “I haven’t really been playing in preseason since my whole career. So just thankful to Him for allowing me to be here.”
Coach John Harbaugh has long criticized the NFL’s preseason schedule as needlessly dangerous for players. He has also acknowledged its value to them. Last August, he said that to “establish yourself as a guy who can win in this league,” players need to “stack performances.” One good game might be a fluke; three in a row is a trend.
Perriman’s problems have started there. Over 27 games in his regular-season career, Perriman has 43 catches on 100 targets for 576 yards and three touchdowns. In his preseason career, he has played in three games. This preseason, he already has set a career high with two games.
Player development occurs on a continuum. Players who improve in the preseason can (and often do) hit a developmental wall in the regular season. Others who are forced to miss training camp altogether can (and often do) rebound once healthy. Injuries have limited Perriman’s progress at wide receiver, but if his showing Thursday pointed to the importance of good health in July and August, it is the timing of those injuries that have been especially devastating.
As a rookie, the No. 26 overall pick suffered a PCL strain in his right knee on the first day of training camp. When he returned to practice ahead of a Week 3 game against the Cincinnati Bengals, he suffered a setback while going through an on-field pregame workout. He underwent arthroscopic surgery that sidelined him for the remainder of the season.
In 2016, Perriman suffered a partially torn ACL in his left knee on the final day of organized team activities. He avoided total reconstructive knee surgery and returned in time to appear in the team’s final preseason game, in which he had two catches for 25 yards. The regular season that followed remains the best of his career: 499 receiving yards, three touchdowns and no games missed.
Last year, Perriman strained his right hamstring early in training camp. He worked out before the team’s third preseason game, but did not return to practice until a month after his injury, in early September. He struggled early, missed a game with a concussion and was a frequent healthy scratch toward the end of the season. He finished with just 77 receiving yards.
This offseason and preseason, he has had to deal only with questions about where he might fit in the Ravens’ future. It is better than the alternative.
“Here is a guy that has been battling back from injuries,” Harbaugh said Thursday. “Obviously, he is taking a lot of heat. He’s a young guy, he’s a good person, he works very hard. He has been under siege a little bit, and that’s part of it. He understands that as much as anybody. But I think he deserves a lot of credit for the way he’s handled it. He’s handled it professionally on the outside, but also on the inside.”
Perriman’s participation this training camp has been consistent, even if his play has not.
Some days, he’s invisible. Others, he’s toasting a third-string cornerback on a deep pass. In the Hall of Fame Game on Aug. 2, he dropped an easy ball from Griffin that became a Chicago Bears interception.
In Thursday’s fourth quarter, he glided upfield on a go route and won a jump ball in the corner of the end zone, a collection of words rarely assigned to Perriman throughout his career.