In each of Sean McVay’s first two seasons as head coach, the Rams ranked in the top 10 in rushing. They were eighth in 2017 and third in 2018, each time being led by Todd Gurley in the backfield.
This season, the Rams took a major step back. They finished the year with 1,499 yards rushing on 401 attempts, which ranked 26th and 18th in the NFL, respectively. Their 3.7 yards per carry as a team were 27th, a far cry from the 4.9 yards per carry they averaged in 2018 and 4.3 the year before.
Most of the blame and credit for a team’s success or failure on the ground falls on the running back. That’s not always fair, given the role the offensive line and tight ends play in the running game.
Sean McVay and general manager Les Snead know the Rams have to be better in that department next season, but there isn’t a one-step solution to the problem. They’re going to work on this element of the offense by evaluating the offensive line, running backs and tight ends.
“I think we’re evaluating more improving the run game,” Snead said, via the Associated Press. “It’s probably boring, but that’s a collective thing. All really good running backs probably give their offensive linemen nice gifts after Christmas after a successful year, and I think that’s for a reason. I think we all know that. We’ve got to look at offensive linemen and runners and tight ends and how we’re running the football, instead of just one individual.”
Snead was asked by reporters whether Gurley was the same player he was in previous seasons, to which he said flatly, “This year, he wasn’t.” But Gurley isn’t the only problem. The offensive line struggled in run blocking, which was evident in the season finale when Gurley had six carries for minus-5 yards at one point.
But at the same time, Gurley didn’t have the same explosiveness or knack for creating big plays that he had the past two seasons. Snead isn’t giving up on him, of course, saying there have been instances where players bounce back from disappointing seasons in the past.
“I think we’ve seen players have years that were less than the past come back and actually get back to where they were,” Snead said. “He’s still a young football player. … If you did take a step back this year, in terms of stats, I do think you can see players who do come back and get to a higher level than they were in their down years.”
The Rams can free up more than $4 million in cap space by trading Gurley this offseason, but finding a trade partner is easier said than done with a running back making $14.38 million per year entering his sixth NFL season.
Cutting him isn’t a financially practical move, either, which means Gurley will probably be back in 2020. Snead wouldn’t say whether Gurley or any other players are on the trade block, but given the front office’s aggressiveness in recent years, no deals should surprise fans or media members in Los Angeles.
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