The Facts: Freeman wants to establish himself as less of a defender-friendly running back in 2017. "Little things like breaking arm tackles," Freeman told reporters Tuesday when talking about what he needs to improve on. "Helping (his offensive linemen) out by giving them a blow by breaking a big tackle -- last year I left some runs out there. Open field, continue to make guys miss. Punishing guys. I just want to be real disrespectful this year when it comes to football."
Diehards Line:As NFL.com suggests, it’s nice of the running back to stick up for his offensive line, though there are also plenty of examples of Freeman tossing defenders in 2016. In fact, Freeman was one of the NFL's most prolific tackle-breakers in 2015 per Pro Football Focus -- part of the reason he's been able to fend off Tevin Coleman and maintain a slight 0.4 yards per carry advantage over the Falcons' No. 2 back. Should he be able to expand on those capabilities somehow, Atlanta may be looking at more of a featured role for Freeman in 2017.