Perriman expected to be fully recovered for offseason program

OWINGS MILLS, Md. — Ravens general manager Ozzie Newsome was excited watching 2015 first-round pick Breshad Perriman on the first day of training camp on July 30.
Little did he know that would be the final time he’d see the wide receiver practice fully in his rookie season.
“He made an incredible catch on the right sideline, and he went to the ground and the knee hit first,” Newsome said. “I was excited about, ‘Oh, he’s made another great play down the field; that’s what we needed for him to do.’ From that point on, you see a guy go to the ground and you really don’t think anything happened, but I noticed it took some time for him to get back up.”
A partially-torn posterior cruciate ligament followed by a late-September setback cost the 6-foot-2 Central Florida product the chance to contribute to a passing game that lacked a high-impact vertical threat throughout a 5-11 season.
The Ravens training staff and renowned orthopedic surgeon Dr. James Andrews told Newsome on Wednesday that Perriman should be ready to go for the offseason training program beginning in April. Of course, fans won’t believe that until they see the speedy receiver on the field after an injury initially diagnosed to sideline him for only a few days cost him the entire season.
“They expect him to be fully recovered and ready to start this offseason,” Newsome said. “Hopefully, he can pick up from where he was that first day of training camp. I really had a smile on my face that first day. I guess he lasted for three-quarters of the day. But I had seen a lot of him during the [organized team activities in the spring].”
Assuming the Ravens re-sign restricted free agent Kamar Aiken, they would have the returning Steve Smith, Aiken, and Perriman at the top of the depth chart, but two of those three would be coming off season-ending injuries and facing question marks. Other receivers such as Jeremy Butler, Michael Campanaro, Darren Waller, Daniel Brown, and Chris Matthews would be competing for roster spots.
With Smith turning 37 next spring and coming off an Achilles injury and Perriman yet to complete as much as a full padded practice in the NFL, do the Ravens still need to add another wide receiver in free agency or the early rounds of the draft?
“Yes, I think we do. And if possible, two, whether it’s by the draft and/or free agency,” Newsome said. “I think we need to continue to improve the depth of our receivers on this roster.”