Rookie first-round receiver Breshad Perriman missed his sixth straight practice Thursday afternoon due to a knee bruise and strain, leading to more concern among Ravens fans.
He's joined on the sideline by a growing group, including wide receiver Marlon Brown (back), guard Kelechi Osemele (foot), tight end Maxx Williams (eye), and guards John Urschel and Robert Myers (concussions).
Baltimore quarterback Joe Flacco doesn't seem alarmed yet, but each day away from the field is another lost opportunity for growth with his rookie receiver, who could be a Week 1 starter.
"Obviously, I'd like to have those guys out there as much as we can, especially Breshad being a young guy," Flacco said. "The bottom line is you have to be healthy, and that's priority No. 1. It's unfortunate that he can't be out there getting better with us, but it's just the name of the game."
Perriman practiced throughout rookie minicamp, Organized Team Activities, mandatory minicamp and the start of training camp, which began for him and other rookies a week before the veterans reported last Thursday.
He injured his knee crashing to the ground while making a tough catch during last Thursday's practice. Harbaugh originally told reporters he thought Perriman would miss just a day or two, but the injury has stretched longer than anticipated.
Still, Perriman is day-to-day and it seems he could come back at any point. On Wednesday, Harbaugh said the rookie going to be out a couple more days, he thinks.
"It's just how he gets the range of movement going in there with the bruise and everything like that," Harbaugh said. "I want him out here right now; he wants to be out here, but they're holding him back. It's probably smart. [The training staff is] smarter than Breshad and I are about it; I know that."
Last Saturday, Offensive Coordinator Marc Trestman said you "can't overestimate the importance of him being on the football field," and added that he needs to work on his timing with Flacco.
On Thursday, Flacco was asked how long it takes to build chemistry with a new receiver. If Perriman returns soon, he'll still have all four preseason games and five weeks of practice before the regular season begins.
"It's different for everybody," Flacco said. "But the bottom line is you have to go out there and do reps, and you have to get live reps. You have to see how they are when they're getting hit and when they've got guys coming up and pressing them and being physical and all that stuff.
"But it also comes down to how talented of a guy you have, me and him together, how talented we are together. With him, from what I've seen, he's a really talented player, and we've just got to get him out here and get working together."
Williams, Myers and Urschel all left Thursday's practice early. Harbaugh said Williams was poked in the eye and Myers and Urschel each banged their heads and will both be evaluated for concussions. Harbaugh said they'll be cautious with Myers and Urschel.
Osemele got stepped on during Wednesday's practice and Harbaugh decided to sit him out Thursday because they were slated to have a physical practice and "there's going to be a lot of feet getting stepped on today." It was a coach's decision.
Outside linebacker Steven Means woke up with an ankle injury this morning, which Harbaugh doesn't believe to be serious. Cornerbacks Tray Walker and Chris Greenwood are both working through hamstring injuries.
