Ravens wide receiver Breshad Perriman's long-awaited debut is really here.
Perriman told reporters Tuesday that he has cleared medical requirements to play and expects to suit up Thursday night in the Ravens' fourth preseason game against the New Orleans Saints.
Head Coach John Harbaugh said Monday that Perriman would play if doctors cleared him.
"I'm ready to go," Perriman said. "It's very exciting. I've been waiting for a long time and it's finally coming."
The last time Perriman played in a football game was on Dec. 26, 2014 when he was in college at Central Florida. He put up nine catches for 138 yards that day in the St. Petersburg Bowl.
The Ravens made him the 26th-overall pick of the first round, but things have been difficult since.
A knee injury suffered on the first day of last year's training cost the first-round pick his entire rookie season, and another knee injury knocked him out of this year's training camp and the first three preseason games.
Speaking with reporters after practicing one-handed catches on the JUGS machine with fellow speedster Mike Wallace, it was easy to read Perriman's excitement.
"Just to think about going out there with my teammates and my friends, it's crazy," he said. "Just embrace it. I know I'm going to be nervous."
The Ravens want to get Perriman as many reps as possible before the regular season considering he has missed so much time. Perriman has been practicing for over a week now without any medical setbacks. He said the knee hasn't been on his mind.
"I feel real good. I have no complaints at all," he said.
It won't be Perriman's first time getting ready for a game. He's warmed up before, including when he re-tweaked his knee injury last year in Cincinnati. But at the end of each of those warmups, Perriman has changed back into street clothes and watched from the sideline.
"It really feels like I'm about to play the game and then I shut it down," Perriman said. "It's tough.
"When you go through all the stuff I went through last year, it definitely makes you stronger mentally. You just can't let things break you. Don't let me get you wrong, it's hard; it's an everyday battle. But if you come with the mindset that you're going to destroy every day then you'll be fine."
Perriman likely won't be catching passes from quarterback Joe Flacco Thursday night. Although Harbaugh didn't give information on whether his starting quarterback might suit up in New Orleans, it's rare to do so and Flacco crossed his final hurdle of feeling pressure in the third preseason game.
The two have been working on their connection in practice, however.
"Me and Joe are getting the chemistry back," Perriman said. "It's real good. I think it's going to be a good year."
