CLEVELAND—On the first play of the Cleveland Browns 26-20 win over the Carolina Panthers, wide receiver Breshad Perriman made his presence known with a bang.
Down 7-0 in the first quarter at the 9:17 mark and backed deep in their territory at the 25-yard line, Mayfield unleashed a 66-yard deep left pass through the cold and chilly winds of Lake Erie into the waiting hands of the former University of Central Florida standout, and just like that, Perriman went from being a borderline first-round bust to being perhaps Cleveland’s missing piece in replacing the departed Josh Gordon.
During his two seasons at UCF, Perriman caught 115 passes for 2,243 yards and 16 touchdowns before deciding to forego his senior season down in Orlando and declare for the 2015 NFL Draft. Despite missing the NFL Combine due to a hamstring injury, Perriman would run two sub 4.3 40-yard times in running a 4.24, boosting his draft stock to a mid first-round projection.
Perriman would end up being selected 26th overall by the Baltimore Ravens.
Plagued by drops and injuries for much of his rookie season with the Ravens, Perriman would be cut by Baltimore in 2017, only to be signed—and later cut—by the Washington Redskins in 2018. Picked up by the Browns, the 6’3, 215-pound Lithonia, Georgia native is making an impact in the deep passing game vacated by the former Pro Bowl WR.
While his ten catches and 188 yards may not exactly make many pine for the days of The Flash, his 18.8 yards per catch and combination of size and speed has helped take the top off of many defenses during his stint with the Browns. While his catch would help set up the Browns to tie the game in the first half, his second catch for 15 yards with 2:31 left in the game to proverbially ice the game off a Mayfield scramble to the right was as clutch as they come.
Two catches for 81 yards and a win. Nothing like feeling like the part of something potentially special.
For Perriman, this has been a long time coming after being cut by Baltimore and Washington, and in Cleveland, he is finally getting a chance to showcase his abilities with a aggressive QB in Mayfield and a even more aggressive play-caller in Freddie Kitchens. Perriman may have finally found a home with the Browns.
With the Browns growing in both confidence and wins, Perriman has the potential and talent to be a factor down the stretch for Cleveland’s unlikely playoff run.
Considering how the son of former NFL wideout, Brett Perriman is showing flashes of his first-round potential in getting a shot of redemption with Cleveland, it appears that both the Browns and the younger son are a perfect match for one another.