Ward's arrival at the City Ground had been flagged up earlier in the summer while, despite initial denials from Freedman, Mills was also a good fit for his former Bolton Wanderers boss.
Although neither signing will excite supporters, both players are battle-hardened in the Championship which is a quality the Reds will need if they are to grind out results in a way they didn't always manage to do last season.
A solid, well-organised squad can go a long way as Ipswich Town proved last season but, with Britt Assombalonga still sidelined, can Freedman find a transfer wild card from within the constraints placed on him by the embargo to make his side play-off contenders?
Released defender Danny Collins, meanwhile, has joined fellow Championship side Rotherham United.