The Giants designated running back Devonta Freeman for return on Friday, as Jordan Raanan of ESPN.com tweets. Freeman landed on injured reserve in November with an ankle injury, and New York now has three weeks to add him to the active roster.
Raanan expects Big Blue to do just that. In his first practice since being put on IR, Freeman was reportedly moving well and appears close to a return.
The former Falcons standout joined the Giants on a one-year deal worth up to $3MM in late September, and though he started four games for the team, he did not do much to disprove the notion that he is just not the same player he was a few years ago in Atlanta, where he earned back-to-back Pro Bowl nods from 2015-16.
Freeman, 28, averaged a mere 3.2 yards per carry over 54 totes with the Giants this season. He had the chance to seize a prominent role in the wake of Saquon Barkley‘s season-ending injury, but general ineffectiveness and the ankle injury prevented that from happening.
Still, the Giants surprisingly find themselves in the middle of a playoff race, and they can use all the help they can get. In Freeman’s absence, Wayne Gallman has stepped up in a big way, racking up 561 yards and six TDs on 121 carries (good for a 4.6-YPC average). 32-year-old veteran Alfred Morris has also maintained a 4.6-YPC average as Gallman’s complementary back.
New York, 5-8, will try to keep its postseason hopes alive with a win over the Browns tonight. They will again call upon backup QB Colt McCoy, as starter Daniel Jones is battling an ankle sprain of his own and a lingering hamstring injury. The G-Men will also be without top CB James Bradberry, who is on the reserve/COVID-19 list.
Why, don’t need him. Gallman and Morris have been really good. We just need a dynamic receiver that can stretch the d and TE that shows up and doesn’t drop every big pass