5 things to know about Falcons: Ryan is throwing to Hurst; Freeman to Seattle?

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry last season.

Credit: Alyssa Pointer

Credit: Alyssa Pointer

Atlanta Falcons running back Devonta Freeman (24) averaged a career-low 3.6 yards per carry last season.

Here are five things to know about the Falcons on Thursday:

1. Ryan to Hurst. Falcons tight end Hayden Hurst, in an interview with ESPN's Mina Kimes, said he's been driving to Atlanta from Jacksonville to work out with Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan for the past four weeks.

2. Freeman turned down $4 million deal from Seattle. Former Falcons running back Devonta Freeman reportedly turned down a deal worth up to $4 million for Seattle, according to Adam Caplan of SiriusXM NFL. NFL Network's Mike Silver reported the terms of the offer. The Falcons are set to open the season against Seattle on Sept. 13. The reports are a bit convoluted, but Bob Condotta of The Seattle Times had a good handle on the latest with the Seahawks' running back situation.  

3. Oliver the chef. Falcons cornerback Isaiah Oliver said he's been cooking more during the quarantine and said that his "go-to" item is grilled lemon-peppered salmon. Yummy.

4. No fans. In response to questions from the AJC's Michael Cunningham, Oliver gave interesting and poignant responses about possibly playing before no fans because of the novel coronavirus pandemic.

5. Brady dissed the Falcons. Bucs quarterback Tom Brady retweeted an ESPN tweet about how badly the network's plan for 2020 have gone. His tweet has a picture of Freeman leaping into the end zone and then one of Brady holding the Super Bowl LI trophy. Was all of that necessary?

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