It's been a very tumultuous ride ever since Breshad Perriman left the Buccaneers after the 2019 season, but the NFL is all about living with the ups and downs that typically come with the game.
Perriman has done just that - living with the ups and downs associated with life in the NFL. Especially since August. Perriman signed with the Jets in 2020, but was released after the season. He signed on with the Lions, but was cut before the season started. The Bears proceeded to pick him up afterward and didn't play him at all. Chicago released Perriman a little over a month ago.
And then Tampa Bay picked him up. Now, he's scoring game-winning touchdowns for the Bucs in overtime.
The Bucs signed Perriman to the 53-man roster to help offset Antonio Brown's three-game suspension and immediately played him that week. They played him a lot, too. Like, 84%-of-the-snaps-against-the-Falcons a lot.
Leading up to the Bills game, Bruce Arians spoke on how Perriman's knowledge of the offense, his speed and explosiveness, as well as his blocking abilities in the running game were major factors in his heavy involvement.
A few days later, Perriman showed exactly why the Bucs have played him as much as he raced 58-yards to the end zone to give the Bucs their first 10-3 start in franchise history.
It was a sensational play and easily the biggest and best play of the Bucs' 2021 season. After the game, Arians, Perriman, and Tom Brady broke down the play from their vantage point(s).
“It was basically a mesh route," said Perriman. "It was crazy how it worked. I was supposed to be picking for Mike [Evans], but I went underneath and Mike went over the top and basically picked for me. Tom [Brady] threw an amazing ball and the rest was history.”
“We ran a good rub route across and he just outran his guy," Arians told reporters. "Tom put it out to where he could stretch him. That’s where that speed comes in. You don’t necessarily have to go down the field, just as much speed coming across and out run that guy.”
“We had a crosser called, and they kind of jumped Mike [Evans] going across the field," said Brady. "They left B.P. [Breshad Perriman] back there and just picked him up in the corner of my eye and got it to him -- he made a great catch and run. He’s got great speed. Once I saw him in the open field, I was ‘Go B.P.! Run!’ and he did."
In case you missed it, here's Perriman's 58-yard walk-off home run:
Game-winning plays are always fun to talk about and it's always great to hear how the coaches and players saw them develop on the field in real time.
Hopefully there's plenty more of these to come as the 2021 season marches on.
More must-reads: