The Ravens will pick up wide receiver Breshad Perriman's $649K roster bonus on Saturday, reports ESPN. Baltimore made the decision Thursday before the first full-team training camp practice.
It means Perriman will have training camp to prove that he belongs on the Ravens' 53-man roster, which is still very much up in the air considering his competition at the position.
A first-round pick in 2015, Perriman has struggled to reach his potential and is coming off a particularly rough season in which he caught just 10 passes for 77 yards.
Injuries have stunted the speedster's development. Perriman missed his entire rookie season because of a PCL (knee) tear that he re-aggravated midway through the year. He sat out the past two training camps because of knee and hamstring injuries.
He has yet to have a full summer of work, and the Ravens are hoping that more time on the field than in the trainers' room this summer could get him over the hump. Perriman was healthy throughout Organized Team Activities and minicamp and made some plays.
"He's a football player," veteran wide receiver Michael Crabtree said. "It's kind of hard on him, because the media is real hard on him. But like I tell him, 'Man, just go play ball, and don't worry about nobody and what they say to you. Just keep getting better and better every day, because once you prove it on the field, then all that goes away.'"
Beyond staying healthy, Perriman also needs to prove that he's improved his overall game. The burner who ran a 4.25 40-yard dash at his pro day has plenty of speed, but he needs to catch the ball reliably.
Perriman showed flashes in his sophomore season when he caught 33 passes for 499 yards and three touchdowns, but was plagued by drops last season, including a couple costly ones that turned into interceptions. He was a healthy scratch for four games down the stretch.
The Ravens overhauled their wide receiver corps this offseason with the additions of Michael Crabtree, John Brown and Willie Snead IV. Entering his fourth season, Perriman is the wide receiver who has been in Baltimore the longest.
However, Perriman will have to beat out talented young challengers if he's going to make the team. Outside of the three free-agent additions, there's Chris Moore, rookies Jaleel Scott and Jordan Lasley, Tim White and others challenging for spots.
