Releasing former running back Devonta Freeman and cornerback Desmond Trufant were tough decisions for the organization, Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff told the Atlanta Journal-Constitution on Sunday.
“Both of those guys were two of my favorites over the years that I’ve been here,” Dimitroff said. “They accomplished so much on the field for us. They were good people. Good leaders in their own ways of course. They set the tone. They were both lead-by-example guys that were really good for the organization.”
Dimitroff selected Trufant 22nd overall in the first round of the 2013 draft. He went on to play 97 regular-season games and two playoff games. He went to the Pro Bowl after the 2015 season.
Freeman was selected in the fourth round of the 2014 draft and went on to have two Pro Bowl seasons in 2015 and 2016.
“Tru is going to go out to Detroit, and I’m sure he’s going to contribute well for them,” Dimitroff said. “Where Free ends up, we’ll wait and see. I believe he still has gas in the tank of course. Hopefully it works out well for him.
“Those guys, again, were really important for our 2016 run and continue to be important on a lot of levels, but we just felt it was time to move forward.”
So, was it a salary cap or a football decision to release the players?
“It was a combination of both,” Dimitroff said.
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