Todd Gurley's days of being a "bell cow" running back for the Rams are "probably over," as the All-Pro continues to rehab a knee injury that plagued him toward the end of the regular season, as well as during the Rams' playoff run. According to NFL Network's Ian Rapoport, the Rams are "clearly ready to spread the ball around."
"The days of Todd Gurley just being the straight-up, every-down bell cow are probably over, just based on his knee, his age, the position, the amount of carries he's had. It's probably not going to be like that, which by the way is maybe why the Rams drafted a running back in the third round, someone they really like a lot. This is a team that is clearly ready to spread the ball around."
Gurley, 24, ran for 1,251 yards and scored 17 touchdowns in 2018, despite the fact that he did not play in the team's last two regular season games. He racked up over 100 yards on the ground with a touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the Divisional Round, but only had 14 carries for 45 yards in the NFC Championship and Super Bowl LIII.
Head coach Sean McVay told reporters Monday:
"I want him to feel most comfortable. That's the most important thing—what he feels he can most function at, being the all-purpose back he's been, and that's where we're at. So he says, 'I'd rather play five, 10 pounds lighter,' and he's going to feel better about that, then that's exactly what we'll do. He's earned the right to be able to tell us how he's feeling with the give and take. As long as he's got a why, which I know he does, we're always receptive to those things."