Less than two years after making Todd Gurley the highest-paid running back in the NFL, the Los Angeles Rams are moving on from him. The team announced Thursday that it has released the three-time Pro Bowl running back.
Gurley is coming off one of the worst seasons in the NFL, rushing for a career-low 857 yards and 12 touchdowns on 223 carries. He also caught just 31 passes for 207 yards, being limited to 254 total touches. For comparison, he had at least 315 touches in each of the previous three years.
The Rams were in a difficult spot with Gurley because of the contract they gave him in 2018 and the lingering knee issue that hampered him during the team’s Super Bowl run and into the 2019 season. Sean McVay and Les Snead maintained that Gurley was healthy last year and not on a load management plan, but it was clear they didn’t feel he could be used as a workhorse for an entire season.
Gurley finishes his decorated Rams career with 5,404 rushing yards, 58 touchdowns, three Pro Bowl selections, two All-Pro nods and one Offensive Player of the Year award. At his peak in 2017 and 2018, he was considered the best running back in the NFL.
It’s unfortunate that a bloated contract and knee injury had to derail his time in Los Angeles after just five seasons,
With Gurley now out of the picture, the Rams will lean on second-year back Darrell Henderson, Malcolm Brown and potentially a rookie draft pick. The Rams have been doing homework on the incoming class of running backs, meeting with several of them during the pre-draft process.
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