CLEVELAND — Breshad Perriman struggled to be a consistent player within the Baltimore Ravens’ offense, but a change of scenery has done the third-year wide receiver, a first-round pick in the 2016 NFL Draft, some good.
Perriman has given the Cleveland Browns a down-the-field threat and been on the receiving end of three 20-yard passes and two 40-yard throws since signing as a free agent prior to a Week 6 game against the Los Angeles Chargers at FirstEnergy Stadium in Cleveland.
“He works extremely hard,” Browns interim coach Gregg Williams said. “He has gotten the people’s confidence around him on how hard he practices and how hard he prepares. That is one good thing. Now, he has gotten the confidence in the people to give him a shot in the game, and he produces in the game.
“He has worked hard at it, and he has produced when he has been given the opportunity.”
Early in the Browns’ 26-18 victory over the Cincinnati Bengals at FirstEnergy Stadium last Sunday, Perriman was on the receiving end of a 63-yard pass from fellow wide receiver Jarvis Landry.
On first-and-10 from the Cleveland 30-yard line, Landry took a double-reverse pitch from wide receiver Antonio Callaway and fired a 63-yard throw to Perriman. The pitch-and-catch moved the Browns from their own 30-yard line to the Cincinnati seven and set up the go-ahead touchdown.
“It is always good to see good people -- guys that work hard, good guys – succeed,” offensive coordinator Freddie Kitchens said Thursday. “He has put the time and effort in. He is really a great story from the standpoint of since Day 1, he has come in, he does not 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 keeps his head down every day and tries to get a little bit better every day, a little bit better every day and a little bit better every week, and then, it is showing on game day. That is ultimately what you have to do. He has done a great job with that.”
In three years with the Ravens, the 6-foot-2, 215-pound Perriman caught 43 passes for 576 yards, an average of 13.4 yards per reception, with three touchdowns, including a 53-yard score during the 2016 season.
Since joining the Browns, Perriman has turned 13 catches into 295 yards and one touchdown, which came in a 17-16 win over the Denver Broncos at Denver Broncos Stadium at Mile High on December 15.
Facing a third-and-nine from the Denver 31-yard line, quarterback Baker Mayfield muscled the throw down the field toward Perriman. The 6-foot-3 receiver outleapt veteran defensive back Tramaine Brock and high-pointed the ball just short of the goal line.
As Perriman fell to the turf, he secured the catch and maintained possession all the way through the play, which included a hard landing and a five-yard roll out of bounds for the touchdown.
“Just happy for Breshad,” Ravens coach John Harbaugh said in a conference call with the Cleveland media. “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 has 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 am happy for him.”
