CLEVELAND, Ohio — Receiver Breshad Perriman was at his mom’s house on Sept.1 when he got the call from Ravens GM Ozzie Newsome that the Ravens were waiving him.
In an instant, he went from 2015 first-round pick with a ton of promise to the Ravens’ first first-rounder in club history to be waived before his rookie contract expired.
In other words, he was their first-ever first-round bust.
“It pissed me off and it hurt deeply, but at the same time it also made me stronger and brought me to bigger blessings,’’ said Perriman, who will return to Baltimore’s M&T Bank Stadium Sunday as a productive member of the Cleveland Browns. “They never told me why.’’
The No. 26 overall pick that year out of Central Florida, Perriman waited 18 days before the Redskins signed him. But four days later, they cut him too.
“It was really tough,’’ said Perriman. “I’m not going to sit here and lie about it. It was probably one of the toughest times in my life. I’ve never been without football in my entire life, but during that time it was taken away from me, and it was really hard.’’
Perriman (6-2, 211) kept busy by working out and visiting teams. But after getting axed by two teams in three weeks, he had to dig deep.
“I had to remind myself that I was drafted in the first round for a reason,’’ he said. “That was the biggest thing was just keeping the faith in myself.’’
The Browns signed him on Oct. 13, a week after they beat his former Ravens 12–9 in overtime in FirstEnergy Stadium, and everything changed.
“The Browns' story is basically my story,’’ he said. “Everyone doubted us for a long time, and now we’re turning it around and it’s perfect.’’
Suddenly, Perriman, 25, had Baker Mayfield talking up his 4.25 speed and letting everyone know he believed in him the same way he did another first-round castoff in left tackle Greg Robinson.
“What we have in this locker room is all we need,’’ Mayfield said earlier this month. “We have what we want and what we need and we trust that. We believe in those guys and confidence and the belief in your team and your system goes a long way.’’
Buoyed by Mayfield’s vote of confidence, Perriman has made some huge plays during the Browns’ three-game winning streak, including a career-long 66-yard catch on the first play against Carolina to set up a TD, A 31-yard TD catch on the Browns’ opening possession at Denver, and a 63-yard catch off a double-reverse from Jarvis Landry to set up a TD against the Bengals.
“Whenever your quarterback trusts you, it gives you confidence all-around,’’ said Perriman. “Knowing that the most important person on offense has your back, that’s huge.’’
Mayfield’s steadfast belief in him came right when he needed it most, just before the doubts had time to take hold.
“I needed it a lot,’’ Perriman said. “It’s been a total blessing for me. It gives you that extra push, that extra confidence knowing that he believes in you and that he has your back 100%.’’
Robinson, the former No. 2 overall pick of the Rams who was also considered a bust, can relate. He’s gotten his swagger back with Mayfield not only believing in him but stating it emphatically during press conferences.
“When you’ve got that, it makes work a lot easier, and it makes playing with others a lot easier,’’ said Robinson. “If a guy like Baker has your best interests, it lifts you up and makes you want to work that much harder.’’
Receiver Rashard Higgins, who caught a TD pass from Mayfield in the Bengals game, knows what Perriman’s talking about too. Mayfield rescued “Hollywood’’ off the scrap heap as well and turned him into a favorite target. He’s tied for the team lead with four TD catches and has 35 receptions for a 486 yards.
“We’ve got similar stories,’’ Higgins said. “He got cut, I got cut. When somebody believes in you and puts their faith in you, you’ll do whatever it takes for him, and Baker’s doing a good job of keeping us both here.
Like Higgins, Perriman just needed a chance to prove himself.
“Obviously Breshad Perriman went in the first round, and there’s still some hope in him,’’ said Higgins. “It just takes one team to believe in you, and the Cleveland Browns believed in him and it changed his life. A lot of discredit was going towards him about dropping balls and stuff, but he’s doing a hell of a job here and we’re thankful to have him.’’
Perriman’s emergence and his ability to stretch the field have opened things up in multiple ways for Landry, who threw him a perfect ball on the 63-yard pass. Landry’s also been freed up to run reverses and make big plays off inside handoffs.
“(Perriman’s) been making plays for us since the day he walked into the building, so he’s definitely a guy I look up to and love watching on Sundays,’’ said Landry. “I’m happy for him.’’
Perriman’s former Ravens teammates, who boast the No. 1 defense in the NFL, know what he’s capable of.
“That’s a guy we faced on a daily basis for a few years,” Brandon Carr told reporters, via the Baltimore Sun. “So we’re not surprised by the speed he shows on film. It’s a matter of just guys putting it all together. We are all light bulbs. We click at different times. It’s just a matter of him maturing and figuring the game out. He’s playing some good ball right now.”
Perriman insists Sunday will be just another game for him.
“Really,’’ he said. “It was fun back then and I’ll thank the fans for their support, but we’re the Browns now.’’
His motivation, he says, will be in trying to prevent the Ravens (9-6) from winning the AFC North and going to the playoffs. Both teams have won five of their last six and are red-hot.
“It’s definitely a huge game for both of us,’’ said Perriman, who missed his rookie season in Baltimore with a torn PCL. “We want to go out with a bang and they’re fighting for their playoff hopes, so we want to take that away.’’
He said he hasn’t heard from any Ravens’ staffers since he’s found success with the Browns except the team chaplain and the player engagement director.
“That’s kind of written history,’’ Ravens coach John Harbaugh said on a conference call this week of waiving Perriman. “You can go back and see that in terms of the injuries and things like that. Just happy for Breshad. He and I had this conversation numerous times over the years and then when he was leaving. Wished him nothing but the best when he was leaving. I do think and I have always thought that he was going to be successful in this league. He’s had success there, and I credit the coaching staff there. They have done a really good job with him, and he has responded very well. I’m happy for him.”
A healthy scratch for five of the Ravens games last season, Perriman isn’t surprised at the success of rookie quarterback Lamar Jackson, the No. 32 overall pick. Perriman experienced it firsthand through the offseason and training camp.
“Yeah, it’s crazy, man,’’ said Perriman. “He’s been lights out. He’s a baller though. From the time he stepped in the building over there he’s a true baller, so it’s not shocking at all that he’s doing what he’s doing.’’
He cautioned that the Browns should be wary of Jackson’s arm as well as his legs.
“He can throw the ball great as well,’’ Perriman said. “He’s not just a running quarterback. Once you sleep on him is when he’ll probably make a fool of somebody. He definitely has a strong arm and he can definitely make some pretty impressive passes.’’
Perriman was plagued by dropped passes and injuries in Baltimore
Perriman has been the perfect addition to Freddie Kitchens’ innovative offense, one that’s scored TDs in 18 of its last 20 trips inside the red zone.
“It’s always good to see good people – guys that work hard, good guys – succeed,’’ said Kitchens. “He’s put the time and effort in. He’s really a great story from the standpoint of since Day 1 he has come in, he doesn’t say much, he just does his job and he keeps his head down and he works. He is like the prototype of what we are looking for. He tries to get a little bit better every day and a little bit better every week, and then it’s showing on gameday.’’
Being waived twice in September wasn’t the first time Perriman has suffered adversity in his life. As a rookie, he lost his longtime close friend Tray Walker, a Ravens cornerback, to a motorbike accident. That same year, his dad, Brett Perriman, a former 10-year NFL receiver, suffered a stroke and had a long recovery.
“I just stayed prayed up and tried to remain positive,’’ Perriman said.
He’d love to re-sign with the Browns after this season and stay here long-term, but for now, he wants to help the Browns finish the season with a winning record at 8-7-1, their first since they went 10-6 in 2007.
“Back when I got cut, I didn’t see it as a blessing,’’ said Perriman. “But now I see it as total blessing for me getting out of there and being here with these guys. I love being part of this story and I’m enjoying every second.’’
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