Getting to know new Lions WR Breshad Perriman from Jets, Bucs writers

Sorry, I had to do it. The Lions now have a second generation Detroit Lions receiver in Breshad Perriman. Fans who were alive in the 90s may remember the former first-round pick’s father Brett Perriman, who played for the Lions from 1991 to 1996 and put up a couple 1,000-yard seasons.

While Brett had success in his career, Breshad is still looking for his. Perriman put up big numbers at Central Florida and wound up being selected by the Baltimore Ravens in the first round of the 2015 NFL Draft. Six years later, Perriman is now getting ready to play for his sixth team. It hasn’t worked out.

So with Perriman’s journeys in mind, we’re doing things a little different with this edition of four questions. We wanted to get thoughts on Perriman from more than one source, so we talked to a couple of fellas. We reached out to our pals Gil Arcia of Bucs Nation and John Butchko of Gang Green Nation about Perriman. Here’s what they had to say.

What are your thoughts on Perriman’s time with the Buccaneers and the Jets?

Bucs: “When Perriman was in a Bucs uniform, I felt he did enough to try and stick around. It wasn’t always pretty (had a lot of drops) but towards the latter part of the 2019 season he and Jameis Winston seemed to have made a connection where Winston felt he was reliable to some degree. The Buccaneers actually wanted him back, but he wasn’t one of their top priorities and he wanted a decent amount of money I feel Tampa Bay just wasn’t ready to dish out.”

Jets: “Perriman’s tenure was pretty disappointing. The Jets let Robby Anderson leave for Carolina for a few million dollars more than Perriman got. Anderson went on to have the most productive season of his career with the Panthers while Perriman was hurt for long stretches and not that productive when he played.”

What are his strengths and weaknesses?

Bucs: “His speed is certainly his main strength. It’s not Tyreek Hill-type speed, but he had a good set of wheels for the Buccaneers offense. His weaknesses seemed to have mounted up on top of the other at times. As previously stated, he had issues at times catching the football and seemed to not read the secondary in opposing defenses well, causing miscommunication between he and Winston when he ran his routes. Those issues seem to have carried from college into the pro level.”

Jets: “Perriman has great physical tools, If you’re looking for a number four receiver who can stretch the field and occasionally fill in when somebody is hurt, you’ll like what you get. He just isn’t consistent enough to be a reliable starter, and that has been the story of his career. He has speed and size, but something is just missing. Obviously he was in a bad situation with poor quarterback play, but I put a couple of Sam Darnold’s interceptions on him for running poor routes and not fighting for contested balls.”

What kind of of presence are the Lions getting in the locker room?

Bucs: “There were never issues in the locker room with Perriman, at least none that I heard of or that were reported. He is a veteran that has been around and has seen a decent amount of football already which can certainly help the younger guys.”

Jets: “It’s tough to say. Perriman didn’t last long enough with the Jets to make much of an impression, positive or negative.”

Perriman is a former first round pick who hasn’t quite lived up to the hype. What do you think Perriman is missing?

Bucs: “I think it’s as easy as him not being able to overcome his struggles from college. He allowed his issues with dropped passes and bad route running become a part of his game in the NFL. So I wouldn’t necessarily say that he is “missing” anything, but rather that there is an inability to improve his catch-rate and route running.”

Jets: “He went in the first round because of his physical tools. Physical tools only get you so far, though. He’s never really developed in the nuanced areas of the position.”