Josh Freeman Working His Way Back to NFL

(Photo Credit: Richard Perry/The New York Times)

The 1983 and 2004 NFL drafts are best remembered for being “the year of the quarterbacks”. Arriving in the league in those years were talented young quarterbacks such as John Elway, Dan Marino, and Eli Manning.Both draft classes combined for six Super Bowl titles and are the standard measured for excellence. The 2009 draft seemed to have similar depth under center with three quarterbacks taken within the first seventeen picks. While the Matthew Stafford and Mark Sanchez proved to become mainstays in the league, Josh Freeman, the third quarterback selected that year, is looking for a way back.

Playing for the Brooklyn Bolts in the FXFL, Freeman is taking the first step towards returning to his early prominence. A native of Kansas City, Missouri, football seemed to be a natural path for Freeman. His father had been a linebacker in the United States football league for two different teams prior to Freeman’s birth.

Freeman himself grew up a Chiefs fan and eventually became a star quarterback at Grandview High School. During his high school career, Freeman threw for over 7,000 yards and set ten school records in the process. Though Freeman produced prolific figures in high school, some schools envisioned him primarily as a tight end at his 6-foot-6 stature.

“At Granview High School, I played quarterback and fell in love with the position. There really wasn’t any other position I was interested playing at that time,” Freeman said.

After initially committing to play for Bill Callahan at Nebraska, Freeman chose to play for Kansas State and by his senior year, became one of the most talked about draft prospects heading into the April draft.

Freeman threw for 20 touchdowns in his senior season with a 136.49 quarterback rating, playing in a pro style offense and taking snaps in the wildcat formation. Looking to replace veterans Jeff Garcia and Chris Simms, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers traded up to select Freeman with the 17th overall pick in the 2009 NFL draft.

Freeman spent much of his rookie season sitting on the bench and learning from those in front of him. Mired in an eleven game losing streak dating back to 2008, the time for waiting ended and Freeman made his first NFL start against the Green Bay Packers on November 8, 2009.

Wearing the classic creamsicle uniforms, Freeman rallied the Buccaneers from an eleven point second half deficit to lead Tampa Bay to their their first victory of the season.

“I was just out there with my guys on that team. We worked as hard as we could. Played as hard as we good. And it was an awesome experience to win my first NFL start,” Freeman said.

Under head coach Raheem Morris, Freeman began to thrive. By his second season in the league, Freeman had a 25/6 touchdown to interception ratio, while leading the Buccaneers to a 10-6 record. He earned a spot as an NFC Pro Bowl alternate and appeared on his way towards becoming the premier quarterback in his draft class.

Success departed as quickly as it arrived for Freeman the next two seasons despite an impressive sophomore showing. Though Freeman saw modest gains in both passing yards and completion percentage, his quarterback rating plummeted over 20 points to 74.6 after throwing a career high 22 interceptions.

Regression at the quarterback position, coupled with a 4-12 record, prompted the Buccaneers to part ways with Morris and hire Rutgers head coach Greg Schiano.

Though Freeman rebounded with his lone 4,000 yard passing season under Schiano, the Bucs chose to move on from Freeman and took NC State quarterback Mike Glennon in the third round of the 2013 NFL draft. After a poor September showing, Freeman was permanently replaced by Glennon and joined the Minnesota Vikings.

Freeman struggled mightily in his lone start in Minnesota, throwing for just 190 yards in a 20-53 showing on Monday Night Football against the New York Giants. With his days as a franchise quarterback quickly behind him, Freeman had difficulty finding another NFL job and by 2015 he opted to join the upstart FXFL, quarterbacking the Brooklyn Bolts.

“The FXFL is a free agent league,” Freeman said. “It’s a league where guys narrowly miss training camp for the NFL to get together on individual games and eventually get back on a practice squad or NFL roster.”

Reuniting with quarterback guru and mentor Terry Shea, Freeman helped guide the Bolts to a league best 4-1 record, splitting first team reps with former BYU quarterback Josh Heaps. In his final FXFL start, Freeman guided the Bolts to a 31-24 victory, with a game winning drive in the waning seconds of the fourth quarter.

Though Freeman had difficulties with ball security and turnovers and select starts, Shea was mostly pleased with his progression during the truncated five game season.

“He did enough good things that if I were an NFL evaluator I would look very hard,” Shea said. ” I think he would have a shot to get a workout and as the season drags on in the NFL, I think you will find the injury factor allows a Josh Freeman to have a workout somewhere”.

In any sport, the ability to make adjustments determines staying power and influence. Players such as Freeman come to the realization that they are no longer in the same place they once were and accept their professional limitations.

Freeman’s previous body of work and strong ethic are attributes coaches look for when filling out an NFL roster. If a potential need arises or an injury occurs, look for Freeman to get some consideration in consideration in the NFL, given his youth and former track record.