Todd Gurley’s one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons is still awaiting physical approval, but the organization has not hidden his worries about the star returning to health.
Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter told reporters that the team was convinced of the talent they had at Gurley – which was released by the Rams in March after five seasons – but waited to see how resilient he was.
“He is only 25 years old and he has two seasons where he is arguably the best running back in football,” said Koetter about Gurley, who signed a one-year contract with Atlanta for $ 5.5 million.
The Rams significantly reduced Gurley’s workload in the second half of 2018 and most of 2019. His last two seasons in Los Angeles were marred by health speculation – he reportedly suffered from rheumatic left knee – and encouraged the organization to immediately cut ties with him when they could not find a partner trade.
Atlanta is ranked 30th in rushing yards in 2019, which encourages organizations to pursue the 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year. After losing Pro Bowler Devonta Freeman twice, the Falcons added Gurley to the back lines of Brian Hill, Ito Smith and Qadree Ollison who had already established.
“This person, when he is at his best, he has speed, he has strength, he can break the tackles, he is difficult to understand, he can catch the ball out of the backfield,” Koetter said. “We’ve all seen what he can do. His praise speaks for itself. We just have to see how healthy he is and how consistently he can do it.”
Gurley played 15 of 16 matches last season, running for 857 yards and 12 goals. That was a small drop from the Pro Bowl season in 2017 and 2018, when he rushed for 1,000-plus meters in the back-to-back season.
“He can still do it,” Koetter said. “It’s just a matter of how often he can do it.”
His workload for the 2020 season will be discussed later, per ESPN.
Gurley was the first running back selected in the 2015 NFL Draft, taken in 10th overall by St-time. Louis Rams. He came out of tears the ACL suffered during his third and final season in Georgia.
