Wide receiver Breshad Perriman will come off the physically unable to perform list and be back on the football field for Monday's afternoon practice, Head Coach John Harbaugh announced.
The AACT practice, which stands for alignment, assignment, corrections, technique, is a slower practice than the morning session, but still a step forward.
Perriman still hasn't been cleared for a full practice, but that could come any day. Head Coach John Harbaugh also left the door open for him to possibly play in Saturday's third preseason game.
"Very exciting. I'm sure we'll all be holding our breath a little bit, that's just natural," Harbaugh said.
"He is in great spirits. He has worked extremely hard. I think he's really grown through all of this and he's learned how to really work with the rehab. He's been forced to do that. I'm looking forward to seeing how he looks when he comes back."
Perriman injured his left knee at the end of Organized Team Activities in mid-June. He avoided season-ending surgery, and instead was prescribed a stem-cell injection and rest.
The Ravens originally projected Perriman to return in mid-August, so he's about a week later than thought, but not far off. He has been working out with trainers on the field after Ravens practices have concluded, and Harbaugh saw him making progress.
Last Tuesday, Harbaugh told reporters that he didn't have an update on Perriman's return. Six days later, Perriman got the thumbs up.
"I think that the medical people probably, for good reason, are very conservative about what they say," Harbaugh said. "I didn't know [his return] was going to happen right away, but I felt watching him run, my diagnosis was he was getting close. They don't go by my diagnosis, unfortunately."
Perriman suffered a partially torn PCL in his right knee on the first day of training camp of last year. It at first didn't seem too serious, but Perriman's return dragged on and he exacerbated the injury in pregame warmups about two months later, which eventually sent him to injured reserve.
There was growing concern among fans that Perriman could be heading down the same path this year.
But with Perriman returning to the field Tuesday, it appears that he could be ready for the regular-season opener on Sept. 11. For now, the goal will be to get Perriman fully practicing, then on the field for his first NFL game.
Harbaugh said Perriman still has to get in football shape. The determination on whether he plays in Saturday's third preseason game at M&T Bank Stadium will be made by the medical staff.
"If he can play, believe me, I want him out there playing," Harbaugh said. "He wants to be out there playing. If he can play, he will play."
