Kyren Williams has back-to-back games of 143-plus yards, which was last accomplished by a Rams player 8 years ago
The Rams have really struggled to find a consistent rushing attack since the days of Todd Gurley, but they may have found a reliable back with Kyren Williams. He had the best game of his career on Sunday against the Cardinals, rushing for 143 yards and adding 61 yards receiving with two touchdowns in the Rams’ 37-14 win.
What makes his performance even better is that this was his first game back from injured reserve. He showed no ill effects from his ankle injury in the Rams’ win, touching it 22 times and averaging nearly 10 yards per touch.
Even though he missed four games, he now has back-to-back performances with 143-plus rushing yards. The last time a Rams running back accomplished that was when Todd Gurley did it in 2015, eight years ago.
Kyren Williams is the first Rams running back since 2015 (Todd Gurley II) to have back-to-back games with 143+ rushing yards.
Williams isn’t the explosive athlete that Gurley was, but he does everything well, from running between the tackles and to the outside, to blocking and catching passes out of the backfield. He’s the unquestioned starter moving forward for Los Angeles and should maintain that role into the 2024 season, as well.
Sean McVay feels bad for running backs in the current market but he still sees them as being valuable, especially the top guys
It’s not a good time to be a running back right now. It’s the only position in the league that has seen its overall market value decline in the last several years, with the franchise tag for running backs decreasing from $12.12 million in 2017 to $10.09 million this year.
Melvin Gordon pointed some of the blame at Sean McVay and the Rams for giving Todd Gurley a massive contract in 2018, only to ride C.J. Anderson to the Super Bowl that same season after Gurley’s knee wore down.
That’s not an indication of how McVay values the position, however. He still finds running backs to be very valuable on offense, as evidenced by the way the Rams rode Gurley in McVay’s first two seasons.
“It’s not by mistake that we were as successful as we were with Todd leading the way,” McVay said on “The Pivot” podcast recently. “And that contract was reflective of exactly how we felt because everything started with him. He was able to be the catalyst and then Jared was obviously excellent in those years and then the surrounding parts. I think it’s incredibly valuable. What I think is hard to really get a gauge for is over the long term, how sustainable because of the pounding that these backs take?”
During that same interview, McVay shared his thoughts on the battle that running backs are facing. They’re still putting up big numbers, which is why the Raiders, Cowboys and Giants all tagged their stud running backs, but teams aren’t willing to give them lucrative, long-term deals out of fear that they’ll wear down – similar to the way Gurley did.
McVay feels bad for running backs because of the way they aren’t being rewarded for their production on the field.
“I don’t know if there’s a model in terms of saying, ‘All right, well, how do we project this over the long haul for the sustainability?’ But I think the world of those running backs that you’re mentioning,” he said. “I don’t think that any coach would disagree that those guys influence the outcome of a game in a significant fashion. And so much of it is comp-based. When you start talking about it, it’s like, who’s gonna be able to make that first move? And because that’s kind of been the narrative on that position – and I feel terrible because these guys are trying to figure out, ‘Hey, what more can I do to get the rewards that I’m deserving of?’ And usually it takes, who’s that first person to make that move?”
As much as McVay values running backs, and as badly as he wants to see them earn big contracts like players at other positions do, he doesn’t have a solution for this problem. Like so many others, he just doesn’t know how to fix the issue.
“I wish I had a better answer for those guys. I do know this: When we’ve been at our best, it’s been because we’ve had running backs that have been doing a great job,” McVay said. “I think what makes it challenging, too, is you get guys that come out of nowhere and have great production. But the guys that do it over the longer period of time like Fred (Taylor) was able to do, and we felt like that’s what Todd was doing, those guys get rewarded. But then there’s always those cautionary tales where people get scared of the pounding, how long can they sustain this, how much can they be that focal point? I feel bad about that for those guys but it seems like that’s kind of where it’s at right now.”
The Rams will have a decision of their own to make next offseason when Cam Akers becomes a free agent. He’ll be a restricted free agent, so they can tender him to keep him on the roster in 2024, but the level that they tender him at – if they do at all – will tell us a lot about how they view his value.
What we do know is McVay will continue to draft running backs just about every year; he’s added Akers, Darrell Henderson Jr., Kyren Williams, Zach Evans and traded for Sony Michel in the last several years. And let’s not forget: He and the Rams tried to acquire Christian McCaffrey from the Panthers last year.
This is a team that loves having a stud running back on offense.
It’s not a good time to be a running back in the NFL and according to Melvin Gordon, the Rams are partly to blame for that.
Gordon, who’s currently a free agent, said on the “Jim Rome Show” recently that running back is “literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now.” It’s never been a high-reward position, given the wear and tear running backs sustain for the amount of money they earn compared to other players, but it’s especially bad right now.
And it all went downhill after the Rams paid Todd Gurley prior to the 2018 season, Gordon says.
“In my opinion, I think after Todd got paid and then Sean McVay came out and said, ‘I will never pay a running back again; I’ll just use them and rotate them out,’ I think after that statement was made — and then I think they won the Super Bowl — it was like everybody just followed suit, I think,” Gordon said. “I kind of think that’s where everything just started going downhill.”
"It's literally the worst position to play in the NFL right now. It literally sucks."
The Rams gave Gurley a four-year deal worth up to $60 million in 2018 after he won Offensive Player of the Year and led the NFL in scrimmage yards and total touchdowns. It made him the highest-paid player at the position, resetting the market for running backs. It helped Le’Veon Bell get $52.5 million from the Jets in 2019 and Ezekiel Elliott land a $90 million deal that same year, but otherwise, running backs have struggled to break the bank the way players at other positions have.
The clearest example of the declining running back market is in the franchise tag values, which are an average of the highest-paid players at each position. The tag for quarterbacks has increased from $21.3 million in 2017 to $32.4 million this year. The wide receiver tag amount has gone up from $15.7 million to $19.7 million in the same span.
Every position’s tag value has increased in the last seven years except for running back. The franchise tag went from $12.1 million in 2017 to $10.1 million this year, bottoming out at $8.7 million in 2021. There’s simply no denying the declining running back market.
Where Gordon’s claim gets questionable is in his statement about McVay. The Rams coach never came out and said he was never going to pay running backs again. It’s hard to find McVay saying something even remotely close to that. Internally, the Rams probably regret paying Gurley when they did, but they still managed to win a Super Bowl a few years later so it didn’t set them back badly enough to derail their championship hopes.
However, during the Rams’ Super Bowl run in 2018 – the same year they paid Gurley – they did get some excellent play out of C.J. Anderson in the playoffs, who helped them get all the way to the big game. Even with a $60 million running back on the roster, the Rams leaned on Anderson, who they signed off the street late in the year.
That may have caused some teams to realize just how easy it is to find running backs for cheap. None of the most recent Super Bowl champions have had a high-priced running back, either – not even the Rams in 2021 or the Chiefs last season.
Los Angeles felt Gurley was a generational talent and game-changer, thus the massive contract extension given to him. It obviously didn’t work out because Gurley was cut prior to the 2020 season, before his new contract even kicked in, but that was largely because of Gurley’s degrading knee.
Gordon is right about the running back market declining and Gurley’s failed contract extension probably scared some teams off from making the same mistake – the Raiders and Giants have been reluctant to do that with Josh Jacobs and Saquon Barkley – but he can’t blame McVay for comments he never made.
Top ten picks are expected to be dynamic players, and the list of No. 10 overall selections has a handful of misses, along with several hits and a few Hall of Fame-worthy performers.
With the NFL draft fast approaching, we’re looking at every player selected with the tenth pick since 2000.
Former Georgia Bulldogs star running back Todd Gurley is done playing football, per an interview with NFL Network.
Former Georgia Bulldogs star running back Todd Gurley is unlikely to play again in the NFL. Gurley has been reflective and thankful recently.
Gurley, who played five seasons for the Rams and one season for the Atlanta Falcons, is not officially retiring, but he says that he is done playing football.
Gurley made that clear in an interview with the NFL Network’s Andrew Siciliano:
If this in the end for Todd Gurley, then he finishes his NFL career with 1,460 rushes for 6,082 rushing yards. Gurley found the end zone frequently during his NFL career. Gurley scored 79 total touchdowns during his six season NFL career and played in a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams.
Todd Gurley made three Pro Bowls during his NFL career. Unfortunately, he suffered from knee issues that limited him during his last years with the Rams and during the 2020 season with the Atlanta Falcons.
The former Georgia standout thanked numerous former NFL running backs via Twitter including former Georgia star Knowshon Moreno.
Todd Gurley hasn’t officially retired yet, but he says he’s done playing football
Todd Gurley hasn’t taken an NFL snap since the 2020 season when he was with the Atlanta Falcons, but he never officially retired from football. Although that left the door open for him to return if a team were to sign him, he isn’t interested in making a comeback.
During an appearance on NFL Network Thursday, Gurley told Andrew Siciliano that he’s done playing despite not officially retiring.
“I don’t think there’s any question about that one,” Gurley said when Siciliano suggested his Twitter activity hinted that Gurley is “calling it quits.”
Siciliano later asked for clarification about Gurley being done, to which the RB said, “Yeah, most definitely.” So although he hasn’t submitted his retirement papers, Gurley isn’t going to suit up in the NFL again.
From 2015-2018, Gurley was one of the best running backs in the NFL. He led the NFL in touchdowns twice, nearly won Offensive Player of the Year in 2017 when he had the most scrimmage yards (2,093) and was a two-time first-team All-Pro.
His game fell off in 2019 and the Rams eventually cut him before the 2020 campaign, with there being no doubt his knee issues had a major impact in his final seasons. After averaging 4.4 yards per carry from 2015-2018, he averaged just 3.7 in the last two years of his career.
In just six NFL seasons, Gurley totaled 6,082 yards rushing, scored 67 touchdowns on the ground and ranks sixth in franchise history with 5,404 yards rushing.
Todd Gurley goes into detail about his life post-football, does not completely rule out a return to the game.
Just a few short years ago, it looked like Todd Gurley could go down as one of the greatest running backs in the history of the NFL.
After a jaw-dropping career at Georgia in which he was one of the most dominant collegiate ball carriers we’ve ever seen, Gurley was drafted by the Rams in the first round of the 2015 draft.
He has not played football since the 2020 season with the Falcons after a sudden decline in his health. Gurley spoke to NBCLX’s Mike Gavin earlier this week and opened up about his post-NFL life, making it clear he’s in no rush to get back on the field. But he also did not rule it out completely.
“Football wise, just taking it day-by-day,” Gurley told Gavin. “Being part of ownership groups of different companies, that’s what I’m focusing on. Spending a lot more time with my family. I ain’t worried about no football. I keep it real with you. I’m chilling and enjoying myself.
Gurley would go on to win 2015’s NFL Offensive Rookie of the Year after posting 1,106 rushing yards with St. Louis. The Rams moved to Los Angeles the next year, and Gurley fit right in, stepping into the spotlight and embracing his superstar status.
He was the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year, twice was named a first team all-pro, made three Pro Bowls and led the league in rushing touchdowns on two occasions.
Gurley continued:
“I like doing stuff on my time,” Gurley said. “I like doing whatever I want to do. I’ve never been one that liked to be controlled. I like to be in control of my own path.”
Now that he’s not playing football, Gurley recently joined the ownership group for the Beasts of the Fan Controlled Football (FCF) League. The Beasts ownership group includes former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters, former WNBA star Renee Montgomery, and WWE wrestler Miro.
Regarding having total control of his life, Gurley noted what’s truly important to him.
“That’s the best thing about being in the position I’m in. If I want to try to play again, I can try to pursue that. Or if I don’t, I can just relax and chill at the house and spend a lot more time with my family because that’s what it’s all about at the end of the day.
“Then at the end of the day, still becoming a businessman and still venturing off in that next phase of my life.”
Toward the end of the 2018 NFL season, Gurley was limited. The Rams made the Super Bowl, but the superstar back was fighting inflammation in his surgically repaired knee from his playing days at Georgia. From that point on, things were never the same for the Tarboro, North Carolina native.
Midway through the next season, Gurley was tied for 29th in the league in rushing yards. He was No. 1 at the midway point a year prior. The next season in 2020, Gurley signed with the Atlanta Falcons and rushed for 678 yards. He has not since played another game of football.
Gurley is now part owner of the Beasts, and he did not rule out a return to football. Could we see TG3 suit up for his team in the FCF or possibly a return to the NFL?
“Anything is possible. The energy that I’m getting right now, I might have to go back there in the locker room and go put something on, man. It is possible. It’s possible.”
Todd Gurley was happy to see the Rams win the Super Bowl, and he doesn’t seem to miss the NFL much at all
Todd Gurley hasn’t officially retired from the NFL, but he doesn’t seem to have any interest in playing another snap in his career. After not playing in 2021, Gurley enjoyed his time away from the field, even venturing into the business side of football by becoming a part-owner of the Beasts in the Fan Controlled Football league.
He still followed the NFL and watched his former team, the Los Angeles Rams, win Super Bowl LVI, but he doesn’t have any interest in playing again.
“There was never not one time where I watched a game and was like, ‘I wish I was out there,’” Gurley told Keith Kocinski of NBC LX. “I appreciated my time in the league and I’ve done things I could have never even dreamed about.”
Gurley said he “ain’t worried about no football,” and that he’s enjoying himself away from the gridiron. There’s no jealousy or ill will toward the Rams for the way his tenure in Los Angeles ended, either.
He told NBC that he felt nothing but happiness after seeing the Rams win a championship without him last season, and he’s especially thrilled for former teammates such as Aaron Donald and Jalen Ramsey.
“Happy for guys like AD that really work hard,” Gurley said. “Guys like Jalen Ramsey that put in work. Obviously gotta go with all my running back guys, seeing guys like Cam Akers come back from an Achilles in four months. Sony Michel getting traded from the Patriots, not only did he beat the Rams in the Super Bowl a couple of years ago, he’s also won one with them, as well. Guys like Darrell Henderson. So, you always get excited for the guys. It’s never just about you. Yeah, everyone would love a ring. But at the end of the day, it’s about being able to congratulate and then see other guys succeed and being happy for them.”
The Rams surprisingly cut Gurley before the 2020 season after he struggled with a knee injury at the end of 2018 and throughout the 2019 season. He reminded the Rams of the money they owed him multiple times, expressing some frustration that it took as long as it did for him to get his check.
But it doesn’t seem like Gurley holds a grudge against his former team. He appears content and happy in his post-football career, which is great to see.
Former Georgia Bulldogs and Los Angeles Rams star running back Todd Gurley has joined the ownership group for a Fan Controlled Football team
Former Georgia Bulldogs, Atlanta Falcons, and Los Angeles Rams star running back Todd Gurley has joined the ownership group for the Beasts, a Fan Controlled Football (FCF) team. The Beasts ownership group includes former NFL star Marshawn Lynch, Ravens cornerback Marcus Peters, former WNBA star Renee Montgomery, and WWE wrestler Miro.
The Beasts are 2-4 this season in FCF. All games of FCF are played in Atlanta, Georgia, at Pullman Yards. Fans have a large influence on the league and can impact play calls, instant replays, and more.
The FCF played its inaugural season in 2021. Games are streamed on Twitch and a variety of other platforms, which gives the league a much different target audience than the USFL, which is a top competitor for the FCF.
Former Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley reacts after defeating the Atlanta Falcons at Mercedes-Benz Stadium. Jason Getz-USA TODAY Sports
Todd Gurley remains unsigned as an NFL free agent. Gurley is still investing in football and in the Atlanta area with his decision to join the Beasts’ ownership group.
New York Giants RB Saquon Barkley has the fewest yards per rush (min. 150 attempts) in the NFL since the start of 2020.
Former No. 2 overall pick, Saquon Barkley, had an amazing start to his career. He was named 2018 Rookie of the Year and was named to the Pro Bowl.
The former Nittany Lion totaled 3,469 scrimmage yards and 23 touchdowns in his first two seasons with the New York Giants. However, things have not been so bright for Barkley as of recently.
In fact, since 2020, Barkley has the fewest yards per rush (min. 150 attempts) of any NFL running back.
Fewest yards per rush since start of 2020 (among players with 150 attempts)
Saquon had an awful 2020 season (where he only averaged 1.8 yards per carry) before tearing his ACL. Then in 2021, he had a below-average season where he only totaled 593 rushing yards on 3.7 yards per attempt as he was hindered by an ankle sprain.
Despite Barkley’s lack of production, not all of the burden can be placed on him. The Giants have had a bottom-five offensive line in the NFL over the past two seasons and one of the worst passing offenses. This resulted in teams stacking the box and Barkley having minimal running lanes to attack.
Hopefully for New York, these problems can improve as the Giants will likely pursue one or two linemen in the NFL draft to pair with the interior offensive line signings of Max Garcia, Jon Feliciano, and Mark Glowinski.
These veterans paired with an emerging Andrew Thomas and a likely rookie right tackle should allow the Giants to have a solid front this season which should allow Barkley to once again play like a top running back in football.
