Todd Gurley’s usage and overall lack of production this season was a talking point throughout the year. It wasn’t until Week 11 that he got at least 20 touches in a game, he never finished with more than 100 rushing yards in a single start and he averaged 3.8 yards per carry – the second-lowest of his career.
The Rams made it clear before the season began that he would probably have his workload limited in an attempt to “keep him fresher,” as general manager Les Snead put it, but he was still expected to put up more than the 1,064 total yards that he did.
On Tuesday, Snead was asked whether Gurley was the same running back he was in recent seasons. His answer was telling of how the year went for the former All-Pro back.
Gurley wasn’t nearly as efficient as he was in 2017 and 2018 when he was a first-team All-Pro. In those seasons, he averaged 6.1 and 5.8 yards per touch, respectively. This year, that number was down to 4.2, the second-worst of his career.
The Rams could’ve used the old version of Gurley this year as they were one of the worst running teams in the league. Their 3.7 yards per carry ranked 28th in the NFL. Gurley helped take pressure off of Jared Goff the last two years, but he couldn’t do that this season with poor blocking up front and struggles as a receiver.
Los Angeles can trade him this offseason to free up $4.65 million in cap space, but cutting him will cost them $8.4 million more than keeping him. So they have a big decision to make with their costly running back who the GM admitted wasn’t the same player this season.
