The Ravens received some potentially good news regarding Breshad Perriman’s left knee. On Monday, Perriman met with Dr. James Andrews, and the result was positive. According to Adam Schefter, there’s “absolutely” a chance that Perriman could play in 2016. It’s possible he may just need a stem cell injection, and the injury may heal on its own. The Ravens will know more after he undergoes his arthroscopic procedure on Tuesday, but the examination revealed that he may not have significant ACL tear.
It’s a glimmer of hope for the Ravens and Perriman in what has otherwise been a frustrating situation. Regardless of whether Perriman misses a couple of months or the entire 2016 season, the Ravens receivers are equipped to absorb the loss much more than they were in 2015.
After Torrey Smith left in free agency last offseason, the Ravens were counting on Perriman to step in as their deep threat right away. There were very few other options on the roster, and Ozzie Newsome rolled the dice. After that gamble backfired, the Ravens decided that they needed insurance policies heading in 2016.
Mike Wallace didn’t live up to expectations in Miami or Minnesota, but neither was as good of a fit for him as Baltimore. With Perriman expected to miss time, Wallace has a real opportunity to flourish this season. He’s still only 29 years old. A bounce-back season with the Ravens could earn him another decent payday before he reaches the twilight of his career.
The Ravens also added Chris Moore in the fourth round of this year’s draft. The Ravens haven’t had a lot of luck with wide receivers in the middle rounds. Moore will get a chance to buck that trend. He doesn’t have Perriman’s straight-line speed, but he still manages to make plays down the field. He averaged almost 22 yards per catch during his final two years at the University of Cincinnati. In Perriman’s absence, he’ll get a chance to prove his worth to the offense much sooner.
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Outside of the receiving group, the Ravens have as much tight end depth as any team in the NFL, and Marc Trestman loves to use two tight end sets. With Benjamin Watson, Crockett Gillmore, Maxx Williams and the possible return of Dennis Pitta, Trestman will have no shortage of options to play with. Even with Perriman healthy, the Ravens would have been running running out the 12 personnel package quite often. Now, they’ll be using it even more.
Trestman also loves to get the ball in his backs’ hands through any means possible. When Trestman was in Chicago in 2014, Matt Forte caught 102 passes. Last season, Buck Allen recorded 12 receptions in a single game against the Dolphins. Whether by design or as a secondary option, Trestman will make sure the backs get involved in the passing game. This year, he’ll have a rookie who can do just that. Kenneth Dixon was widely viewed as the best passing catching running back in this year’s class. Combining him with Justin Forsett and Allen gives the Ravens a plethora of options out of the backfield.
The Ravens didn’t have any fallback options last year when Perriman went down. The offense lacked explosion as a result, and the entire offense suffered. They learned from their mistakes and made sure that wouldn’t happen again in 2016.
The injury to Perriman is unfortunate, but the Ravens offense is in good shape even if he misses significant time.
