NFL Veterans Who Have Made Biggest Strides to Improve This Offseason

Each and every NFL offseason, there are some veterans who are coming off a not necessarily that great of a season but find a way to improve tremendously with offseason workouts.

Some of these players might visit a position specialist or a personal trainer, and some players might even drop some weight and add some muscle.

In that spirit, let's take a look at some NFL veterans who have made huge strides this offseason to improve heading into 2012. 

Josh Freeman

Josh Freeman was always a big guy who was hard to bring down, much like Ben Roethlisberger. But the two quarterbacks always managed to maintain an athletic build despite having a few extra pounds.

According to ESPN, Freeman has dropped a few pounds and is reportedly looking pretty slim. 

In the report, Freeman stated that he's feeling "good." Quite possibly, Freeman is doing the best that he can to impress the Tampa Bay Buccaneers new head coach Greg Schiano. 

Adrian Peterson

Adrian Peterson's 2011 season came to a sudden stop on Christmas eve as he tore his ACL and MCL.

Typically recovering from major knee surgery will take six months, and could even take up to an entire year, but there's a small chance that A.P. will be ready to go for the Minnesota Vikings training camp, according to Josina Anderson via Twitter. 

Matt Ryan

Matt Ryan and the Atlanta Falcons didn't end as well as they thought it would with an embarrassing Wild Card Round loss against the New York Giants.

With that being said, Ryan has dedicated his entire offseason to bulking up.

According to ESPN, Ryan has been spending this offseason trying to add some strength, which is rather interesting as Ryan has always appeared to be in top shape.

But this is certainly notable as Ryan and the Falcons need to start making playoff runs or we'll start to question their ability to be a championship team. 

Chad Ochocinco

This may come off as a joke, but Chad Ochocinco has reportedly been studying his playbook, despite having a picture of him posted on Twitter with him sitting on the toilet with a fake playbook in his hands. 

This is something that Ochocinco needs to take seriously, as he was a non-factor in 2011 as he caught just 15 passes in 15 games and caught just one touchdown.

Ochocinco definitely wants to remain a New England Patriot, and if he wants to guarantee that, then he needs to gain a strong understanding of New England's complex offensive system. 

Donovan McNabb

He might be a free agent, but he still wants to return to the NFL.

According to several reports, Donovan McNabb has dropped close to 20 pounds as he attempts to get back into the league.

McNabb hasn't been all that effective over the past few seasons with the Washington Redskins and the Minnesota Vikings, as the Vikings ultimately released him midseason this past year. 

McNabb might not be able to sign a deal that will guarantee him a starting job, but if he lands an audition and can prove that he's at tip-top shape, then who knows, he might be able to steal a job from someone.