Todd Gurley has dealt with knee issues dating back to when he suffered a torn ACL at Georgia, and the same knee gave him trouble last season and limited his effectiveness late in the year. While the Los Angeles Rams have downplayed some of the concerns about the star running back, they are apparently very real.
Jay Glazer of The Athletic was asked in his most recent mailbag if the talk about Gurley having arthritis in his knee has been “overblown.” He said it is not.
“Nope, it’s not overblown. I think the biggest test will be what happens early in the season. If he runs and it doesn’t blow up and the Rams are able to use him as a workhorse, then a lot of those concerns will go away,” Glazer wrote. “If not, they’re going to have to get a little creative. They would be wise to be prepared because the knee has gone through a lot from college to now, so they’ve got to brace for it swelling up again.”
Rams coach Sean McVay admitted this offseason that the team needs to be conscious of limiting Gurley’s workload, and that is almost certainly why they used a third-round pick on former Memphis star running back Darrell Henderson. Gurley signed a four-year, $60 million contract prior to last season, so the Rams want to be smart with his usage and not run him into the ground.
While he refused to admit his knee was an issue when he rushed for 35 yards on 10 carries in the Super Bowl, Gurley clearly wasn’t himself. Having him healthy late in the season should be a priority for the Rams.
