The biggest question mark for the Los Angeles Rams this offseason is the health of running back Todd Gurley as he is believed to have arthritis that may affect him for the rest of his career, although neither he nor the team has confirmed it.
Gurley is currently not participating in organized team activities this offseason, instead just following his own offseason workout plan.
Rams head coach Sean McVay addressed Gurley’s situation, saying he has lost some weight this offseason to help take pressure off his knee, via Jeremy Bergman of NFL.com:
“I want him to feel most comfortable. That’s the most important thing, what he feels he can most function at, being the all-purpose back he’s been and that’s where we’re at,” McVay told reporters. “So he says, ‘I’d rather play five, 10 pounds lighter,’ and he’s going to feel better about that, then that’s exactly what we’ll do. He’s earned the right to be able to tell us how he’s feeling with the give and take. As long as he’s got a why, which I know he does, we’re always receptive to those things.”
NFL Network Insider Ian Rapoport also reported that the team understands that Gurley will no longer be an every-down running back moving forward:
“The days of Todd Gurley just being the straight-up, every-down bell cow are probably over, just based on his knee, his age, the position, the amount of carries he’s had,” Rapoport said on Monday’s edition on NFL Total Access. “It’s probably not going to be like that, which by the way is maybe why the Rams drafted a running back in the third round, someone they really like a lot. This is a team that is clearly ready to spread the ball around.
“Of course, Gurley’s knee, the wear and tear on that knee, the surgically repaired knee, is something that everyone knows has been concerning to the team for some time. All they really want is for Gurley to come back when the season begins when it’s really time to go to be 100 percent. What they don’t want is to have all those questions they had leading up the Super Bowl repeat before Week 1.”
The Rams used a third-round pick to take Memphis running back Darrell Henderson, so that may have been the first clue that Gurley is not completely healthy.
With Henderson and Malcolm Brown in the mix to spell Gurley though, he should still be able to be a productive player for the Rams for years to come despite not being 100 percent healthy.
