While just about every player had made his way into the locker room after Wednesday's practice, wide receiver Breshad Perriman strolled over to the JUGS machine.
Perriman spent more than 30 minutes catching passes, putting in extra work ahead of Sunday's regular-season opener against the Buffalo Bills.
"I'm very excited," Perriman said. "It's a lot on the line. It's the first game for the whole team. Personally, I'm just going to go attack it like any other game, go out there with my family and try to dominate and have fun doing it."
Perriman knows he can spend all the time he wants on the JUGS machine, but his most important work has come working with starting quarterback Joe Flacco on the field. Perriman acknowledged when he returned to practice two weeks ago that the pair "had some work to do" to build a rapport, and he feels like they've made significant strides since then.
"It's very good," Perriman said of their chemistry. "We're still improving every day, every practice, but I feel like we're at a good point."
Flacco has said many times throughout his career that his job as the quarterback is to find the open man wherever he is on the field. That sentiment has seemed to downplay the importance of on-field chemistry between the quarterback and receiver, and Flacco didn't indicate any lingering concerns about his limited time with Perriman.
"My expectations are for him to go out there and get open," Flacco said. "Yeah, we haven't had a ton of work together, but I just have to keep it simple, hit him in the chest and give him a chance to make plays."
Perriman got rid of some of his first-game jitters last week when he made his debut against the Saints in the preseason finale. The Ravens came Perriman's direction on the first two plays of that game to get him involved quickly, and Flacco could also take some early shots in the speedy receiver's direction this Sunday.
"The more plays he's given a chance to make, the more he's going to make, the more his confidence is going to go up," Flacco said. "I think a lot of times when you're trying to build a relationship with a receiver, it's about making plays in games and by giving him a chance, I'm letting him know that I have confidence in him."
Perriman caught two passes for 25 yards in his debut, and most importantly, he came out healthy.
"It's most definitely a confidence booster. I think I really needed that at the end of the day," Perriman said. "I feel like it was a good thing for me to get out there, get catches and get hit a couple of times."
The preseason debut got Perriman over the hurdle of playing in his first game since college and suffering a pair of knee injuries in his time with the Ravens. But there's a big difference from playing a few series in the final preseason game, and suiting up in an NFL opener.
Now Perriman has to carve out a role in a crowded receiver group, and this week is another big step for him.
"I'll probably be nervous again, same type of emotions, be very nervous," Perriman said. "But at the end of the day, when the pads come on and we go out there to warm up, I'll just be anxious to go out there and start playing."
