OWINGS MILLS, Md. -- Baltimore Ravens coach John Harbaugh said he expects all five of his players on the physically unable to perform list to be ready for the Sept. 11 season opener against the Buffalo Bills.
Wide receivers Steve Smith Sr. and Breshad Perriman, linebackers Terrell Suggs and Elvis Dumervil and running back Lorenzo Taliaferro are currently on the PUP list and have yet to practice in training camp.
Smith and Perriman are expected to be two of the Ravens' top receivers, and Suggs and Dumervil are Baltimore's best pass-rushers.
On Tuesday, Harbaugh gave his most optimistic timetable for all of those players.
"We do expect them all to play in the opener," Harbaugh said. "As far as the preseason, I think it goes back to 'We'll see.' They all want to play, I know that. They're all working really hard to play in the preseason. But we certainly expect them all back for the opener."
Suggs, who tore his Achilles in last year's opener, is the closest to returning. He reportedly sneaked around Harbaugh to pass the team's conditioning test last week in an effort to show he can practice.
"I'm holding him back right now," Harbaugh said. "He'll be out there soon practicing. How much we play him remains to be seen."
Perriman (knee), Dumervil (foot) and Taliaferro (foot) could soon follow Suggs. The biggest concern is Smith, who said his Achilles injury was a double rupture.
"The other guys are probably a little longer away from [Suggs] being ready," Harbaugh said. "So, we'll just see where we go. But they should all play in the regular season."