The Eagles brought veteran running back Devonta Freeman in for a visit this past weekend but Freeman is reportedly signing with a division rival instead.
After the Giants lost Saquon Barkley for the season, they are reportedly set to sign Freeman, according to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo.
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Freeman, 28, has been a free agent all offseason and now into the 2020 campaign after spending his first six NFL seasons with the Falcons. It’ll be interesting to see how much the Giants were willing to spend on Freeman, who reportedly turned down a deal earlier in the offseason that could have been worth up to $4 million.
As far as the Eagles’ visit with Freeman, I was told it was more of a due diligence meeting. They were checking in on a player who they had interest in but without a signing imminent.
The Eagles feel pretty good about their running back rotation right now with Miles Sanders, Boston Scott, Corey Clement and Jason Huntley. It’s unclear which of those backs would have been the odd man out if they signed Freeman. Sanders and Scott are obviously safe. And Clement is a key special teams contributor, so that might have left out Huntley. But the Eagles claimed the Lions’ draft pick for a reason. They think there’s some talent there.
Freeman was once a two-time Pro Bowler but that was back in 2015-16. We’ve seen a drop-off in his level of play since then. In 2018, he played in just two games and last year he played in 14 but averaged just 3.6 yards per carry.
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The Eagles will see Freeman twice in a span of three games a little later this year. The Eagles host the Giants on Oct. 22 and are on the road against them on Nov. 15.