New York Giants sign DeVonta Freeman from the Atlanta Falcons

Devonta Freeman (Wikimedia Commons)

According to Rogers Sportsnet on Tuesday, the New York Giants have signed running back DeVonta Freeman of Baxley, Georgia to a one year contract worth $3 million. Freeman was released by the Falcons on March 16, after playing the last six seasons in Atlanta. The Giants were in desperate need of a running back after their star offensive force Saquon Barkley tore his anterior cruciate ligament in the Giants’ 17-13 loss to the Chicago Bears on Sunday. As a result, Barkley is out for the season.

Freeman had 184 rushes for 656 yards and two touchdowns in 2019. He also had 59 catches for 410 yards and four touchdowns. In six seasons in Atlanta, Freeman had 951 rushes for 3972 yards and 32 touchdowns. He also had 257 catches for 2015 yards and 11 touchdowns.

Freeman’s best seasons came in 21015 and 2016 when he was selected to the Pro Bowl each year. In 2015, Freeman led the NFL with 11 rushing touchdowns, and in each season, reached the 1000 yard mark. Freeman had 1056 yards rushing in 2015 and 1079 yards in 2016.

Replacing Barkley is going to be a major challenge for Freeman. Considered one of the best running backs in the NFL for his high level of explosiveness, Barkley led the NFL in yards from scrimmage (2028) in his rookie season of 2018. That same year Barkley was named to the Pro Bowl.

One reason why the Falcons parted ways with Freeman is the fact he only ran 3.6 yards per rush in 2019. That was a career low. To replace Freeman, the Falcons signed Todd Gurley of Baltimore, Maryland on April 6, to a one-year contract worth $6 million. However it should be noted that Gurley only has 3.3 yards per rush in two games with Atlanta to start the season. He only had 56 yards in a 38-25 Atlanta loss to the Seattle Seahawks on September 13, and 61 yards in a 40-39 Atlanta loss to the Dallas Cowboys on September 20.

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