Eagles will meet with Devonta Freeman

The Philadelphia Eagles are set to meet with free agent running back Devonta Freeman next week, according to the NFL’s official transaction wire.

Due to the fact we’re living in a pandemic, Freeman visiting the Eagles isn’t as straightforward as it would normally be. It’s instead a multi-day affair due to COVID-19 testing. Thus why he’s visiting next week and not instantaneously. The Eagles went through the same process with Cordy Glenn, whom they ultimately didn’t sign.

Freeman — along with Carlos Hyde and LeSean McCoy — is one of the three veterans the Eagles were rumored to be interested in signing this offseason. The team instead opted to stick with their youth. The Eagles clearly weren’t interested in paying what their targeted players were seeking.

But now that more time has passed and we’re into the regular season, it’s possible that Freeman’s price tag has become more affordable. Freeman’s market is also helped by the fact that he’s no longer due a fully guaranteed salary since he’s a vested veteran who will be signing after Week 1.

Of course, the Eagles could’ve afforded to have Freeman on the roster against the Washington Football Team since Boston Scott and Corey Clement weren’t giving them much. (Though it’s not like the run blocking was awesome. But neither were these backs in pass protection.)

But what’s done is done and Freeman could end up being a member of the Eagles after all. Here’s what we previously wrote about the idea of adding him:

Freeman might better fits the mold the Eagles are looking for. He also only turned 28 years old [in March].

The downside is that multiple injuries have limited Freeman to 16 games over the past two seasons. His 198 rushing attempts for 724 yards from that span only come out to a 3.7 average. He also fumbled three times.

Freeman was a pretty prolific runner from 2015 through 2017 when he had 688 attempts for 3,000 yards (4.4 average) and 29 touchdowns. He also had 163 receptions for 1,357 yards (8.3 average) and six touchdowns.

The Atlanta Falcons clearly weren’t feeling confident that Freeman would rebound to peak form as they took on $6 million in dead money to move on from him this offseason. But he could be a worthwhile No. 2 for the Eagles if he rebounds at all.

It should also be noted that Freeman and Eagles senior offensive assistant Rich Scangarello overlapped on the Falcons in 2015. We all know the Birds are big on familiarity.

A healthy and rejuvenated Freeman could be a nice No. 2 running back behind Miles Sanders, who is set to return from a hamstring injury this Sunday. He’d also provide insurance if Sanders gets hurt again. But it’s possible that Freeman might not offer much at this point of his career, as highlighted by the concerns above.

We’ll see next week if Freeman and the Eagles can end up agreeing to terms.