The Baltimore Ravens have some of their best players still lingering on the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) list, though it should not have any impact on the roster once games start to count on Sept. 11.
Per head coach John Harbaugh, outside linebackers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil, wide receivers Steve Smith and Breshad Perriman and running back Lorenzo Talaiferro will all be ready to go when Baltimore opens the regular season against the Bills.
Harbaugh added that Suggs is the closest to getting off PUP.
The health of those five players will be invaluable to a Ravens team that has the talent to compete in the AFC North, though they do not always have the luck in the medical department (or with Father Time).
Suggs and Dumervil led the league in sacks the last time the pair was healthy and playing 16 games together -- a feat Dumervil thinks they can repeat again.
Smith and former first-round pick Breshad Perriman are the life blood of the team's passing game and Talaiferro figures to round out the roster at running back behind Terrance West.
There may not be a more tediously watched injury report in football at the moment, though there are plenty of silver linings for a Ravens team that has gotten older over the past three seasons. The young core of this offense and defense are getting more reps during training camp and we could see up to three rookie contributors mixing in with the likes of Suggs and Dumervil in just a few weeks, especially if some of those players need to be eased in after their stint on PUP officially ends.
