Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay has made it clear this offseason that the run game will be a point of emphasis in the 2020 NFL season.
The Rams made quite the investment when they signed running back Todd Gurley to a four-year extension worth $60 million prior to the 2018 campaign. Unfortunately, he is coming off an underwhelming 2019 NFL season and there continue to be concerns about his long-term health.
As a result, there has been plenty of speculation regarding McVay’s desire to have a serious conversation with Gurley about his future. However, it seems he feels there is not much to talk about.
Gurley recently downplayed the idea of them having anything major to discuss in an interview with Rich Hammond of The Athletic:
“It just depends on what the conversation is about. I’m more of a guy where, if there ain’t nothing to talk about, then there ain’t nothing to talk about. But if we’ve got something to talk about, then we can talk. That’s kind of my perspective. Coach got my number. Coach got my number.”
Gurley added that there are not any major concerns on his end and if there are, he will be sure to address it directly:
“Nah, nah, nah. I’m not that type of person. I’ve always been able to — I mean, everyone needs to talk to someone, but I’ve always done a pretty good job with that. I know what I’m capable of in football. I know the stuff where I can get better. And that’s just being a part of football. Some years are going to be better than others. Some years are not. That’s just a part of the game. You’ve got to learn how to deal with stuff, and then just keep your head up and keep fighting.
“Like we said, football is a business, so anything can happen, but you’ve got to understand it as a player and not take it personally. You take it personally to a certain extent, but you also be grateful for whatever opportunity you’ve got. I know it sounds cliche, but you literally just control what you can control. As long as my teammates know who I am as a person and stuff like that, I don’t really care about what other people think. The ones that know, know. All that stuff sounds cliche, but that’s kind of how it is.”
The Rams’ inability to establish a consistent run game paired with concerns about a lingering knee injury had a major impact on Gurley’s overall production after rushing for 857 yards on 223 carries. Despite his struggles, he still showed to have a nose for the end zone with 14 total touchdowns.
Given the team’s desire to get more bang for their buck moving forward, rumors have started to swirl that the team would like to restructure his deal in an effort to build on their limited resources. McVay and general manager Les Snead’s desire to usher in a ‘two-headed monster’ in the backfield indicates that they would like to lighten his workload.
Even if Gurley is not in a rush to have the conversation, it will only be a matter of time before the Rams address the elephant in the room.
