David Reed was giddy at his locker Wednesday.
The third-year wide receiver/kick returner was getting ready for his first practice in 11 months after recovering from offseason surgery to repair a torn anterior cruciate ligament.
"Just getting ready right now, getting dressed, about to put these shoulder pads on, this is a blessing." Reed said. "I'm really thankful, really, really blessed. I feel like I'm in the clouds right now. I'm on cloud nine."
Reed opened the season on the physically unable to perform list, which held him out of practice for the first six weeks.
After Week 6, the Ravens then had a three-week window to decide when he would return to practice, and they opted to wait until the end of that time frame. Reed is now able to practice and the Ravens have another three weeks before they have to decide whether to move him to the active roster, place him on injured reserve or cut him.
Reed is optimistic that once he gets on the field he'll show the coaching staff that he's deserving of a spot on the 53-man roster.
"I think after they see me today, they're going to see that I'm ready," he said. "I feel 100 perfect."
Reed figures to be in the mix for the kick returning job, which he held the last two seasons before a costly two-fumble game against Seattle in Week 10.
He will have to compete with free-agent acquisition Jacoby Jones, who has seized the job from rookie Deonte Thompson and already has a kick touchdown return on the year.
"Of course I want to be back there again, but Jacoby is doing a great job with it and you can't take nothing away from him," Reed said. "Hopefully I can just come in and add on to that. Maybe we could both do it. Who knows? The coaches have to make that decision and whatever happens, happens."
Reed could be competing with Thompson for a roster spot, as they both play the same position and have skills as a returner. Thompson has not been activated for a game since losing the starting kickoff returner role.
But Reed said his mindset isn't to focus on the decisions that Head Coach John Harbaugh and General Manager Ozzie Newsome have to make in terms of roster moves.
"I'm not worried about it," Reed said. "Right now this is my first day back and this is my first week back, and next week is going to be my second week back, I'm just thinking about it like that. I'm not worried about what they got to do, the decisions that they got to make. That's what they have to do. That's their job."
Reed has been a constant presence at the Ravens facility since the offseason, and he said that he's just glad to get back on the field after a grueling rehab process.
"The whole thing was hard," Reed said. "Some days I felt really good, some days I felt really bad. It was a long road. It really made me stronger."
