Healthier Perryman Appears Ready to Resume Greater UW Playing Role

The cornerback left the UCLA game early in a precautionary move.

Jordan Perryman sounded healthy enough.

On Tuesday, the University of Washington cornerback and UC Davis transfer was in fairly good spirits as he bantered with different reporters while answering his first questions since getting hurt in the season opener against Kent State, missing three games and playing only briefly against UCLA last weekend.

The fact that he was speaking to reporters at all was a positive sign for him — the UW generally doesn't permit injured players to engage with members of the press at all until they're fully healthy. 

And once back, these Huskies are counseled against spelling out the exact nature of their injuries to these inquisitors, though some still do, to limit the information getting out to their opponents.

So what's been the physical malady bothering Perryman, a player who the UW brought in with great hope of shoring up a secondary that underwent great turnover? 

"It was a little owie, but I'm a lot better now," Perryman said, smiling. 

The new cornerback lasted just two and a half quarters of the opener against Kent State before grabbing at his leg and having to leave the game escorted by trainers. 

Whether it was a groin injury or a hamstring injury, Perryman didn't play again until last Friday's UCLA game, and then he didn't last longer than a couple of series.

"We were down a bunch so what was the point of me staying in and re-aggravating my injury?" he said. 

Perryman has significant coverage skills that would go a long way to helping shore up a Husky defense that gave up 40 points at the Rose Bowl.

He's not an injury-prone player either, having previously missed just one game at UC Davis in five seasons because of a shoulder problem.

Fellow cornerback Mishael Powell has missed the past two games after starting three and he's been ruled out for Saturday's game at Arizona State.

Starting safety Asa Turner, out three games, likely won't be available for the Sun Devils either. 

A healthier Perryman, however, is big step forward for a secondary regularly getting picked on these days.

"We have all the confidence in the world," he said. "We're down so many guys right now, we're just working to get back to what we were doing before all this happened."

Beginning with him.

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