The biggest question mark surrounding the Los Angeles Rams going into the 2019 season was the health of star running back Todd Gurley. After missing some games with a knee injury down the stretch of the 2018 season, it was revealed in the offseason that he was dealing with an arthritic condition in his knee and his workload would be limited in 2019.
While the Rams never confirmed that was the case, his usage in 2019 did as despite playing in 15 games, his 254 combined touches were the lowest mark since his rookie season when he only played 13 games.
Gurley carried the ball 223 times for 857 yards and 12 touchdowns, also adding 31 receptions for 207 yards and a pair of scores. It wasn’t until the last few games of the season that the Rams really upped Gurley’s usage and started utilizing him as the workhorse back he was in previous years.
Now that the 2019 season has come to a close, Rams general manager Les Snead was very candid in his assessment of Gurley. He had no problem admitting that Gurley was not the same running back as years past, via Lindsey Thiry of ESPN:
“We didn’t run the ball this year as well as we have,” Snead said. “We definitely want to get back to being more efficient running the football.”
When asked if Gurley was the same running back he’d proved to be in the past, Snead said, “This year, he wasn’t.”
Gurley’s injury is the only reason for that as Snead also pointed to the team’s revolving door on the offensive line and their inability to open holes for the three-time Pro Bowler, which is certainly true.
The 25-year-old still has four years remaining on his contract, so the Rams will have to find a way to get him going in 2020. Hopefully, having an extended offseason will help him get healthy and ready to be a workhorse once again next season.
Los Angeles used a third-round pick on running back Darrell Henderson in 2019. While he did not make a big impact in his rookie season, look for him to see his workload increased next year if Gurley continues to struggle.
