The Baltimore Ravens drafted wide receiver Breshad Perriman in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft with the anticipation that they would get from him some much-needed immediate impactful play from the position. That never came to pass after a torn PCL, and its subsequent re-aggravation, landed him on injured reserve.
It was reported earlier that Perriman suffered a torn ACL on Saturday during the Ravens’ final OTA session and fears arose immediately that he might miss the entirety of his first two seasons in the league due to a multitude of knee injuries.
There was a glimmer of optimism yesterday, however, as secondary evaluations on his knee courtesy of esteemed surgeon James Andrews revealed that the tear to Perriman’s ACL may not be significant after all, and may require only a minimally invasive surgery that would leave open the possibility that he could recover in time to return to football at some point during the 2016 season.
That will be largely determined later today, as he is scheduled to undergo that surgery later in the day, performed by Andrews, during which it will be determined the extent to which the ligament requires surgical intervention. If it is severe enough, he will have to have standard reconstructive surgery that will undoubtedly sideline him for the year.
If it is less severe, on the other hand, however, a minimally invasive repair could be supplemented by stem cell injections to hasten the ligament’s natural recovery time. Should that be the case, a working timeline for return would have to be established, but the recovery period could very fall wall within the parameters of a 2016 return.
It might be worth noting that Perriman’s recovery from a torn PCL last year was relatively show in comparison to what would normally be projected for an athlete, and that may well have facilitated its eventual reinjury. I am far from qualified to draw a medically meaningful parallel between that event and this current injury, however.
In the interim, with Perriman sidelined yet again, the Ravens are still patiently waiting until veteran Steve Smith returns to the field as he recovers from a torn Achilles tendon that he suffered in November. He was set to retire before resolving to return for one more season following the injury.
The most prominent wide receivers behind Smith and Perriman are fourth-year wide receiver Kamar Aiken, who played a large role last season, and former Pittsburgh Steelers wide receiver Mike Wallace, who was signed this offseason. We have previously written about how Perriman’s injury might coincide with a bigger role for Wallace in the Ravens’ offense this season.
The Ravens drafted Chris Moore in the fourth round of the 2016 NFL Draft, boasting a 21.8-yards-per-catch statistic in his final college season, hinting at his big-play ability. Quarterback Joe Flacco is also working his way back from an ACL tear, one of a number of injury setbacks Baltimore’s passing game suffered through last year.
Update: Following surgery, it has been determined that Perriman did not have to undergo a reconstructive procedure, and is expected to be in line to play this season.
