FLOWERY BRANCH, Ga. – Devonta Freeman is well on his way back to full strength.
After suffering a knee injury late in the season, Freeman did not undergo surgery this offseason. He's been at the team facility rehabbing and preparing in his own way with his teammates since the start of the offseason workout program on April 16.
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Coming off a season where he rushed for 865 yards, caught 36 passes for 317 yards and tallied eight touchdowns, Freeman is motivated to continue to push himself to reach another level.
The running back said he's done a lot of studying and "re-evaluating" of himself this offseason.
He will also be playing for a different position coach this year in Bernie Parmalee, Atlanta's new running backs coach. Parmalee played for both the Miami Dolphins (1992-98) and the New York Jets (1999-2000), ending his career with 2,179 rushing yards, 1,485 receiving yards and 17 touchdowns. Parmalee most recently served as the Oakland Raiders running backs coach from 2015-17, helping the Raiders average 120.1 rushing yards per game in 2016, the sixth-most in the NFL.
Freeman appreciates his knowledge for the game and his position in specific.
"He knows his stuff," Freeman said of Parmalee. "It's a different point of view from him because he played in the league for nine years. He understands where we are at late in the season, how we see things."
Although Freeman did not say what he would be able to do when OTAs begin for the Falcons in a few weeks or mandatory minicamp, he did say he's taking it "day-by-day."
