NFL Rumors: LA Rams RB Todd Gurley return in question

Rams 2019 Plan B

While the Rams avoided discussing Gurley’s future publicly, the 2019 NFL Draft resulted in the LA Rams selecting a solid running back in the third round by the name of Darrell Henderson. The Rams did not have a first round pick, and used the second round pick to select safety Taylor Rapp from the University of Washington.

Running back Darrell Henderson was selected from the University of Memphis. He averaged 8.2 yards per carry over his three seasons at Memphis. The 5-foot-8 208 pound rookie recorded only spot usage this past season.  He recorded eight games where he played on offense, and two games where he played as the team’s kick returner.   He was ultimately placed on the injured reserve list on December 23, 2019.

2015 UDFA running back Malcolm Brown had a larger share of the offense, but not by much. The 5-foot-11 222 pound five-year veteran from the University of Texas rushed for 69 carries, 255 yards, and five touchdowns in 14 games in 2019.  In hindsight, the Rams did not expand the role of either Henderson nor of Brown to offset fewer carries by Gurley.

The offense did reduce the workload upon Gurley in 2019.  But the Rams did not distribute those carries to other ball carriers. Instead, the offense simply eliminated approximately 70 rushing plays for the season, and instead forced Goff to pass that number of plays.