The Ravens and Breshad Perriman got the best possible news about the condition of the wide receiver's left knee.
Perriman had his knee scoped Tuesday and renowned orthopedist Dr. James Andrews decided the player's anterior cruciate ligament was in good enough shape that it doesn't need total reconstructive surgery, an industry source confirmed.
Reconstructive knee surgery would have put Perriman out for a second straight season.
Instead, Perriman had a stem cell injection to speed the healing of the ligament. There's no immediate timetable for his return and the Ravens will surely give the 22-year-old the necessary time to heal the knee. The hope is Perriman will be ready for the start of the regular season, but it's far too early to determine how he'll react to the rehab and the treatment.
Last year, Perriman strained the posterior cruciate ligament in his right knee late in the first full-squad practice of training camp. The Ravens initially thought the injury was minor and would only keep the 2015 first-round pick out of practice for a couple of days.
However, Perriman missed his entire rookie season, a development that significantly affected a Ravens' passing game that lacked speed on the outside. Perriman had his right knee scoped last October and also had an injection, which team officials hoped would lead to the wide receiver returning. But his knee never responded quickly to the treatment and he ultimately ran out of time and was put on season-ending injured reserve.
A smiling Perriman said two weeks ago during the Ravens' first organized team activity that he was 100 percent. He said being back on the field left him feeling like a "kid in the candy store." He, however, hurt his knee Thursday during the final OTA. On the play he got hurt, Perriman ran past his defender and tried to catch up to an overthrown pass.
Nothing was made of it initially. But Perriman's knee swelled up overnight and the team gave him a magnetic resonance imaging exam. That led the Ravens to believe he sustained a partially torn ACL. The Ravens held out hope that he wouldn't need reconstruction surgery, but they certainly had braced themselves for the worst.
Today was welcomed news as they prepare to hit the field for the first day of the three-day mandatory minicamp.