Todd Gurley will be playing in the red of Atlanta for the 2020 season after being released by the Rams in free agency. Gurley’s release by the Rams – which saved the LA franchise $17.5 million against the salary cap – arguably marked the lowest point in the running back’s career, after dominating the league in 2017 and ‘18.
Rumors about Gurley’s knee problems – an issue the 25-year-old has dealt with since college – seem to have come to the fore following a less-than-stellar 2019 season, in which he still managed to play 15 games. But just how much of a drop-off has Gurley seen in his production over the last three years? We took a look at the numbers (provided by the good folks at Stat Muse) to figure it out.
2017
13 rush TD (1st)
19 total TD (1st)
1,305 rush yd (2nd)
2,093 scrimmage yd (1st)
In Gurley’s third season in the league he dominated the NFL, leading all players in total touchdowns (non QB) and yards from scrimmage, winning the Offensive Player of the Year award in the process. Gurley’s play helped the Rams to an 11-5 record, good for the NFC West crown and the #3 seed in the playoffs. But Gurley was somewhat shut down in the first round against the Falcons, where he rushed for ‘only’ 101 yards and no scores as the Rams lost 26-13.
2018
17 rush TD (1st)
21 total TD (1st)
1,251 rush yd (3rd)
1,831 scrimmage yd (4th)
Gurley took his play to a new level in 2018, upping his rushing and total touchdown count. Sure, his rushing and scrimmage yards took a bit of a hit, but the Rams finished with a record of 13-3 and made it to the Super Bowl, losing to the Patriots. At the time, it was clear that Gurley was the premier RB in the league. Clearly, the Rams felt the same, and gave him a monster four-year, $57.5 million extension. However, the fact that Gurley was used sparling throughout the playoffs and made little impact in the Super Bowl was a sign of things to come…
2019
12 rush TD (5th)
14 total TD (5th)
857 rush yd (20th)
1,064 scrimmage yd (48th)
This past season was Gurley’s least productive in years, perhaps due to his lingering knee issues, or the Rams simply losing faith in the back’s ability to get back to the level he demonstrated in 2017. Gurley rushed for a career low 857 yards, averaging just 4.2 yards per carry. He was released on March 19 – the day the team would have had to pay him a $10.5 million bonus, had he remained on the roster.