Royce

Freeman

Freeman had only joined the Bears last week — the veteran will probably find a practice squad by the time the week is over. The Bears also waived DB Millard Bradford, DL Xavier Carlton, DB Alex Cook, LB Power Echols, DB Kaleb Hayes, QB Austin Reed, RB Ian Wheeler, and TE Joel Wilson. Additionally they released DB Tre Flowers and OL Joshua Miles, and placed DB Zah Frazier on the NFI list.

The 28-year-old back got in to 14 games for the Rams in 2023 and will be Los Angeles’ replacement for Blake Corum in the playoffs. Ronnie Rivers is expected to get most of the RB2 reps for the Rams behind Kyren Williams in the playoffs.

Freeman lands in Cleveland after having spent training camp with the Cowboys. The last time he saw regular season game action was in 2023 with the Rams where he went 77-319-2. He’ll look to provide more depth in the Browns’ running back room.

Royce Freeman began training camp as a threat to compete for carries in Dallas but lost out to both Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn. The 28-year-old may need a practice squad invite in order to find an opportunity with a new team.

The Cowboys’ depth chart has veteran Ezekiel Elliott leading the way with Rico Dowdle, Royce Freeman, Deuce Vaughn, and others competing in the backfield. In a projection of the Cowboys’ 53-man roster, Machota projects Elliott, Dowdle, Freeman, and fullback Hunter Luepke to be the team’s backs. He especially said, “at this point, it would be a surprise for Dowdle not to make it” onto the roster. Elliott will likely be the No. 1 back with the veteran status and production he’s given the Cowboys in his career. However, the 26-year-old Dowdle has been doing well in camp and now Machota has him as the “favorite to lead the team in rushing.” There are still preseason games to see the backfield pecking order, but Dowdle is catching some steam to be a major value at his current price in fantasy.

Jones, Jerry’s son, said Freeman has “really impressed” in offseason practices and during Cowboys training camp. Freeman, Jones said, is “a great 2-3 combination in terms of what he can do as a backup. He’s a big, thick guy. And he’s a hell of a special teams player as well. He’ll be a good addition and great complement to (Elliott). And then we’ll let these young guys between (Rico Dowdle and Malik Davis) and those guys battle it out.” Judging by Jones’ comments, it would seem Elliott is locked into the lead back role and Dowdle is in line for RB3 duties at best.

McCarthy noted the rise of split backfields in the modern NFL and said the Cowboys — who last season had the league’s fourth highest pass rate over expected — would divvy up backfield touches among Ezekiel Elliott, Rico Dowdle, and a yet-to-be-named third running back. Royce Freeman would be the likeliest third option behind Elliott and Dowdle. Zeke would be the odds-on favorite to get goal line work, though Dowdle could split the pass-catching role going into the regular season.

Freeman has bounced around the league in his six seasons, most recently spending 2023 with the Rams. He rushed 77 times for 319 yards and two touchdowns in a backup capacity, getting his most opportunities in Kyren Williams’ absence. The veteran now joins a sparse Cowboys backfield that currently has Rico Dowdle and Deuce Vaughn as its top two running backs. Freeman’s signing should not take the Cowboys out of the running to add another back in this year’s draft.

Despite being the clear RB2 for the Rams, Freeman was able to cash in late on a 23-yard touchdown run. The Rams put the game out of reach early and it allowed Freeman to get some extra touches. Not too sure this game indicates that Freeman has stand-alone value, but he’s a top backup at the very least.

Pelissero said we will see a 2:1 ratio of Williams to backup Royce Freeman in Week 12. Williams may give up slightly more work to his backup than he did before landing on injured reserve with an ankle injury, but two-thirds of the touches would still be an elite role for him to return to. Williams can be treated as a low-end RB1 versus a weak Arizona defense.