Ravens decline to pick up Breshad Perriman’s fifth-year option

The Baltimore Ravens officially decline to pick up their 5th Year option on former 1st Rd Pick Breshad Perriman.

As the deadline to pick-up 5th Year options on 2015 first-round picks came and went, the Baltimore Ravens decided to stay put and not exercise theirs for wide receiver Breshad Perriman.

Essentially, this move means that Perriman is set to become a free agent at the end of the 2018-2019 season.

Perriman was the 26th overall pick in the 2015 NFL Draft and at the time was supposed to be the Robin to Steve Smith Sr.’s Batman. Ravens fans can only dream of what could’ve been for the superbly athletic 24-year-old.

Here’s a list of the most notable players that did not have their options picked up

At 6’2, 215 pounds, there were some question marks regarding Perriman entering the NFL, mostly surrounding his routes and ability to catch with his hands as opposed to his body. Most scouts believed that he would, at minimum, be a deep threat utilizing his 4.24 speed.

The UCF product has dealt with his fair share of injuries – most notably a sprained PCL that forced him to miss his entire rookie campaign. Perriman, in his three NFL seasons, has played in just 27 out of a possible 48 games, totaling 43 receptions for 576 yards and 3 touchdowns.

Now fast forward to 2018 and Perriman is going to be fighting for a roster spot come July when the Ravens open up training camp.

Following the additions of Michael Crabtree, John Brown, and Willie Snead it’s essentially guesswork to predict if he’ll be able to make the Ravens 53-man opening day roster.

And if that wasn’t tough enough for Perriman, the Ravens spent back to back fourth and fifth round picks on receivers in the 2018 NFL Draft last week.

So before you can blink the Ravens have, one would think, five receiver spots locked down not including Perriman. To open up the season last year the Ravens only took five wideouts on their roster, so it could be a numbers game for Perriman – and one that might not end up in his favor.

So what’s next for Perriman?

The writing seems to be on the wall for Perriman in Baltimore; but, if an opportunity arises through injury this season he must take advantage. He can’t have another disappointing campaign.

At the end of the day, Perriman’s an athletic freak. He’s 6’2 and runs sub 4.3 in his sleep. However, it seems his tenure in Baltimore is coming to a close faster than people and fans might’ve hoped when he was first selected.

Next: Baltimore Ravens: Post-draft 53-man roster predictions

Because of his freakish athleticism, it wouldn’t surprise me at all to see him end up on an NFL roster somewhere, or see a team stash him on their practice squad. He’s got loads of ability but just needs to harness it in the NFL. It’s just a shame it probably won’t happen in Baltimore.