Ravens first-round pick Breshad Perriman to injured reserve

And there we have it. After months of speculation, the hammer has finally dropped and the Ravens have pushed their 2015 first-round draft pick to injured reserve. Breshad Perriman was injured on the first day of training camp with what had been announced as a PCL sprain.

With numerous doctors coming out saying that typical PCL sprains take roughly 6 weeks to heal completely, Perriman's absence since summer has been odd to say the least. Having watched Perriman get injured and walk off the field, the injury didn't look severe, but with ligament injuries, they can surprise you in their complexity and timeframes.

Last week, head coach John Harbaugh had mentioned that the "clock was ticking" on Perriman for this season. He even noted that while he'd love to have him for even 4 games, the rookie would need a few weeks of practice before anyone felt comfortable putting him on the field.

The clock is ticking. If he can't get out there to practice soon.

"I'd love to get 4 games out of him, just so you could see him and he could develop for 4 games. But that means that you need 4 weeks of him practicing to get him for 4 weeks."

The injury to Perriman became an even bigger headache for the Ravens after veteran wide receiver Steve Smith Sr. tore his Achilles tendon against the San Diego Chargers. What had looked like a unit that was destined for good things at the beginning of the season was battered and bruised and quickly becoming one of the worst on a pretty bad team.

General Manager Ozzie Newsome had this to say about the move to push Perriman to IR:

Breshad has worked hard to come back from his injury, but after discussing his current condition with our medical staff and Breshad, we have decided that putting him on Injured Reserve for the remainder of the season is our best course of action

With few weapons on the field for quarterback Joe Flacco and little speed, the Ravens brought Chris Givens in from St. Louis. Having traded a 2018 7th-round draft pick for him in early October, Givens gave the Ravens much needed speed on the outside. He had done well in the few chances he had to see the field and was granted the top spot on the depth chart Sunday against the Jacksonville Jaguars. With the opportunity to showcase his skills a little more, Givens caught 4 balls for 37 yards and a touchdown. While not exactly the barn burning fans had hoped for, it was a good start.

With Perriman out for the remainder of the year, the Ravens will likely want to test out the remaining receivers they have to see if anyone is worthy of resigning for the 2016 season and beyond.