Former Georgia Bulldogs running back Todd Gurley had somewhat of an off-year last season by his standards.
Coming off seasons in which he won Offensive Player of the Year and the NFC Championship, he was released by the very team that drafted him 10th overall in the first-round of the 2015 NFL Draft.
Former San Diego Chargers running back and Hall of Famer Ladainian Tomlinson weighed in on the state of Gurley, his knee and his future in the league.
“I was the first guy that thought Todd Gurley would bounce back in 2019. I just figured that what happened to him at the end of 2018 was a fluke and he would be fine in 2019. And I didn’t see that,” Tomlinson said during Friday’s episode of NFL Total Access.
Gurley suffered an ACL tear his junior year at UGA and the public had not seen any complications until late in the 2018 season.
“He averaged less than four yards a carry for the second time in his career,” said Tomlinson. “But beyond that, his longest run was 25 yards. So I see a guy that doesn’t have that explosiveness to him no more. I don’t believe he’s a guy that can hit the home run on every-single play. He can still be very serviceable. He still has double-digit touchdowns.”
Tomlinson’s feelings are that Gurley will be useful in situations such as goal-line plays, but will need a supporting cast to get through the season, and hopefully the playoffs.
“But I believe that at this point in his career, he’s going to need a committee of backs to help him stay fresh.” Tomlinson said. “We still may see situations where he might break out and have 125 yards, but those days of him having seven-yard runs, I don’t think we’re going to see that ever again from Todd Gurley. I think his knee is just too bad at this point.”
Gurley feels quite different about the situation.
He turned 1,483 touches (1,265 carries and 218 receptions) into 7,494 scrimmage yards (5,404 rushing and 2,090 receiving) for the Los Angeles Rams, averaging 5.1 yards per attempt (4.3 per rush and 9.6 per reception) and accounting for 70 touchdowns (58 rushing and 12 receiving) in 73 games (72 starts) from 2015-2019.
After being released by the Rams this offseason, Gurley signed a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons in March. Although Atlanta is not his hometown, playing college ball 71 miles up the road in Athens has made Georgia a second home for him.
Gurley is hoping to shake off the 2019 season in which he averaged 3.8 yards per carry and had a long run of 25 yards. He pounded 12 touchdowns, but the numbers were down from his previous years.
“Obviously, no one wants to get cut or traded or what not, but some things you can see coming, man, you know?” Gurley said on an episode of UNINTERRUPTED: We Run This Station.
Gurley understands that the Rams made a business decision, but is still hoping to prove himself as an elite back in the league.
“I’m excited, though.” said Gurley. “I’m not even going to lie. It’s like a good feeling, like a fresh start, but you’ve already been there before. So it’s like the comfortable feeling of just being able to go back to Georgia.”