By Jordan Long
Running back Devonta Freeman is still a free agent. Teams have been drawn to him, but his asking price is too high. One franchise who still has an interest in him is the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Freeman is a veteran running back who would improve the Buccaneers on offense. He has the ability to block defensive blitzes. Those would give quarterback Tom Brady more time to throw the football to find an open receiver which could be for first downs or longer.
When it comes to running the football, Freeman totaled 3,977 rushing yards and 32 touchdowns in his 6-year NFL career. His average yards per rush is 4.2 yards. His running can open up the passing game. Defenses would need to guess if the Buccaneers are throwing the football or running it.
Freeman can be part of the passing game. There are times where he sneaks out of the backfield to catch the football in the open field. Defenses usually don’t cover him which equals large chunks of yards. Freeman totaled 2,015 receiving yards and 11 touchdowns.
Freeman is a fit for Tampa Bay. On their roster, Tampa Bay doesn’t have a veteran running back. Their top running back is Ronald Jones. He is entering his third year in the NFL. Last year was his best year with 724 rushing yards and 6 touchdowns. Jones caught 31 passes for 309 yards but didn’t record a touchdown. After Jones, Tampa Bay doesn’t have a reliable running back.
Tampa Bay knows Freeman would add depth to the position. The biggest problem with Freeman is the money he wants. The Seattle Seahawks offered him a contract that was worth $4 million a year this offseason. Freeman turned it down. He wants more. According to CBSsports.com, Tampa Bay Head Coach Bruce Arians said, “If his price tag was reasonable. He’s asking for a lot of money, and we don’t have a lot of money.”
Right now Tampa Bay doesn’t have the money for Freeman. Their available cap space is around $4.8 million. The only way Tampa Bay agrees to a contract with Freemen is if he is willing to play for $2 to $3 million this season. Freeman wants to play this year, but only at a certain price. Franchises are staying away from him because of that. It is still possible Freeman could still sign with a team later on.
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