Falcons running back Devonta Freeman will not return to play in the final two games of the season, coach Dan Quinn said on his weekly radio show on Wednesday.
“He won’t make it back,” Quinn said on 92.9 The Game during an interview with John Fricke and Jon Chuckery.
The co-hosts didn't ask Quinn about the NFL Network report on the "strong possibility" that he's going to fire both coordinators after the season.
On Monday, Quinn said he did not believe that Freeman would return this season. This statement was definitive that Freeman is done for the 2018 season.
Freeman, the starting running back, was placed on injured reserve on Oct. 16 after suffering foot and groin injuries against the Steelers.
After the Falcons practice last Friday, Freeman and Quinn had their weekly meeting on his recovering from sports hernia surgery.
The Falcons were hopeful that Freeman will return to action this season. Freeman appears a ways off and hasn’t been cleared for practice yet.
Freeman had surgery at the Vincera Institute. William C. Meyers, one of the leaders in core/sports hernia injury surgery, founded the institute.
The earliest Freeman could have returned to action would have been for this week’s game against Carolina. Recovery from core/sports hernia surgery usually takes four to six weeks.
Freeman played in the season opener and suffered what was reported as a knee bruise against the Eagles. He missed the next three games before playing against the Steelers. He rushed eight times for 32 yards, but didn’t look explosive on a 20-yard run after he got in the open field.
After the Pittsburgh game, Freeman had an MRI exam which revealed the tear in the core area.
Freeman didn’t play in the next game against Tampa Bay, and it was disclosed as a groin injury on Friday. It was listed as a foot injury on the previous injury reports.
Without Freeman, the Falcons are averaging 90.7 yards per game rushing, which is 31st (next to last) in the league.
Falcons promoted running back Jeremy Langford to the 53-man roster after placing running back Ito Smith on injured reserve on Tuesday.
Langford, a fourth-round pick (106th overall) by the Bears in 2015, played at Michigan State.
He played in 28 games with the Bears in 2015 and 2016, making five starts. He rushed 210 times for 737 yards and 10 touchdowns and caught 41 passes for 21 yards and a touchdown with the Bears.
He’s also spent time with the Ravens, Jets and Dolphins.
The Falcons also waived wide receiver Julian Williams and signed wide receiver Christian Blake and offensive lineman Chris Durant to the practice squad.
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