Todd Gurley’s time with the Atlanta Falcons may be coming to an end, and his grip on the team’s starting job has slipped as well.
Interim coach Raheem Morris announced Monday that Ito Smith will serve as the Falcons’ lead running back going forward, with Gurley’s role changing, via Kelsey Conway of the team’s official website. While Gurley’s new role was not clear, his workload had already been slipping, and he hasn’t had more than eight carries in a game since Nov. 8.
The Falcons probably want to see what they have in Smith going forward. The 25-year-old hasn’t been great, but has rushed for 167 yards on 37 carries in the last four games.
As for Gurley, his attempt to revive his career in Atlanta has clearly fallen flat. Though the 26-year-old found the end zone nine times, he’s set for a career worst in rushing yards barring a big late turnaround. Add in some brutal mental errors and it’s easy to see why the Falcons are ready to try something different.
