Freshly signed pass rusher Dwight Freeney, the seven-time Pro Bowler, suited up for the first time as a Falcon on Sunday morning, taking reps with the defensive line rotation in his first taste of Atlanta’s training camp.
“It’s funny. No matter how much training you do, there’s nothing like going out here and competing,” Freeney said after practice. “The adrenaline starts going, you hit those bag drills and the body starts turning ways it ain’t supposed to be turning. That’s definitely what training camp is about, to get that rust off.”
Unlike last season, when Freeney was signed off the street by Arizona midway through the season, the 14-year veteran has five weeks to train before the season starts. He made his transition with the Cardinals look easy with his eight sacks in 11 games, but he was quick to point out after on Sunday how the Falcons’ streamlined defensive playbook is going to help him.
“Compared to last year what I had to go through, getting dropped in Week 6 — and especially the Cardinals playbook is like this [thick] on a Wednesday and is like a dictionary on Saturday — so this is completely different,” Freeney said. “DQ [head coach Dan Quinn] takes care of us and any questions that I have, those guys are doing great at just helping me along.”
Freeney was matched up with starting left tackle Jake Matthews several times during the practice, which drew attention from the sidelines as well as the fans watching from the hill, as the 36-year-old tested the 24-year-old.
“He’s [Matthews] a great talent,” said Freeney. “He’s a great young guy with great balance and great hands. I’m happy he’s on this team. I know he has a lot further to go, but, man, is he going to be a good one.”
Freeney beat tackle Bryce Harris to the quarterback during team drills and, as he grew more comfortable, tested the signature spin move that has helped him produce 119.5 sacks during his career.
“[The spin move] felt rusty, but it felt good,” added Freeney. “I’ll try to keep oiling that thing up. Right now, I’m probably a stage 1 or tropical storm and hopefully I’ll get that thing to a category 5.”
Freeney’s arrival is hoped to impact the Falcons’ docile pass rush. The team’s 19 sacks last season were fewest in the NFL. Freeney’s eight sacks last season ranked 22nd-most in the league. Vic Beasley led the Falcons with four sacks in his rookie season.
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