Veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney wants to continue his illustrious football career, as he visited with the NFC South’s Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday.
According to the NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, veteran pass rusher Dwight Freeney visited with the Atlanta Falcons on Wednesday at their facility in Flowery Branch, Georgia. The free agent sack artist had previously visited with the Cincinnati Bengals the week before.
Free agent pass-rusher Dwight Freeney's visit to the #Falcons is today. He worked out for the #Bengals last week, too.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) June 1, 2016
Freeney spent the 2015 NFL season with the NFC West powerhouse Arizona Cardinals, but is best known for his seven Pro Bowl seasons with the Indianapolis Colts. He was the No. 11 overall pick by the Colts in the 2002 NFL Draft out of Syracuse University.
There is little doubt that the member of the NFL’s 100 sacks club will reach Canton enshrinement when he ultimately calls it a career. The bigger question is how much the 36-year-old defensive end has left in the tank after 16 NFL seasons. Would Freeney positively impact either the Bengals or Falcons’ organizations in 2016?
Cincinnati will certainly give Freeney a better chance to potentially win another Super Bowl, as Marvin Lewis’ Bengals are perennial contenders in the AFC North. However, he would have to adapt to playing in Cincinnati’s 4-3 scheme after spending so many years as a 3-4 defensive end.
What Freeney would get with the Falcons is an ample opportunity to start in Dan Quinn’s 4-3 under defensive scheme. He’ll be able to groom promising franchise pass rusher Vic Beasley in his second season and play for a Falcons team that should contend for an NFC Wild Card berth in 2016.
Atlanta is in dire need to upgrade their putrid pass rush, something that has plagued the Falcons since the organization cut ties with defensive end John Abraham after the 2012 NFL season. Quinn came to Atlanta to turn around the Falcons’ toothless pass rush and failed miserably in that regard in year one in Flowery Branch.
If signing Freeney helps the Falcons knock quarterbacks like Cam Newton, Drew Brees and Jameis Winston into the turf, then Atlanta may have to turn to the 16-year NFL veteran pass rusher. Freeney can still play, but having him as the best pass rusher on the Falcons says a ton about Atlanta’s status as the worst pass rushing team in football.
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