Two of the biggest names in the Ravens’ competition for a starting wide receiver spot beside Steve Smith — Breshad Perriman and Marlon Brown — remained out today after the first day off of training camp.
Coach John Harbaugh said after practice that neither's return is imminent.
“He’s going to be a couple days, I think,” Harbaugh said of Perriman, who is out with a knee injury. “It’s just how he gets the range of movement going in there.”
Perriman, the team’s first-round pick, is expected to contribute immediately but banged his knee on the ground making a leaping catch Thursday in the first practice of training camp and hasn’t been back on the field since.
Harbaugh first classified it as a bruise, then days later described it as a “sprain, bruise, tendon or whatever.” He said today that both he and Perriman are eager for his return.
“I want him out here right now,” Harbaugh said. “He wants to be out there, but [the trainers] are holding him back. It’s probably smart — they’re smarter than Breshad, I know that.”
Brown, a third-year wide receiver, had an MRI on his back after it locked up during practice Friday and was tweaked again when he tried to return. Harbaugh said Brown was twisting to get a ball when his back got tight, causing him to sit out on Saturday. Brown returned Sunday, but Harbaugh said he “kind of tweaked it” when he got bumped into.
The MRI revealed no disc issues, which Harbaugh said they were looking for, meaning the discomfort is being caused by a “nerve [or] rib issue of some kind.”
“I don’t know how long it’s going to take,” Harbaugh said. “Hopefully, it won’t be long.”
Missing time early in training camp could rob Perriman of a chance to make a first impression, and Brown a chance to erase a disappointing 2014.
Brown followed his seven-touchdown rookie season by not finding the end zone once in 2014, his second season with the team. His 24 catches and 255 receiving yards last year were both less than half of his rookie totals of 49 catches and 524 yards.
In their absence, wide receivers Kamar Aiken and Jeremy Butler have been the primary targets opposite Smith, with second-year receiver Michael Campanaro (River Hill) and rookie Darren Waller also making impressions.