NFL Rumors: LA Rams RB Todd Gurley return in question

NFL Rumors persist

IN the face of this, the NFL Rumors persist over the LA Rams parting ways with RB Todd Gurley this offseason. NFL.com’s Michael Silva continued to propogate the rumor of Gurley becoming a salary cap casualty in his December 22, 2019 article about the future of the LA Rams. While the financial aspects of outright cutting the running back do not seem to support the notion, it does not eliminate the possibility.

Profootball talk NBC sports analyst Mike Florio brought the NFL rumor to the forefront once more when he cited Gurley’s contract terms in a June 2019 article.  In that article, he suggested that if Rams rookie Henderson had a solid season, the Rams would move away from Gurley this off-season.  Of course, Henderson did not put up much in 2019. But are the Rams ready to move on regardless?  After all, the 2019 season hit head coach Sean McVay hard. And the Rams practically babied Gurley all off-season last year, vowing that the team “won’t use Gurley at all in the off-season.”.

In the 2019 season aftermath, the Rams may simply conclude that there is not enough bubble-wrap in the universe to keep Gurley fresh through an entire NFL season.  And he is paid far to much for spot duty, or a casual role.

When Rams General Manager Les Snead was approached about Gurley at the end of 2019, he admitted that Gurley was not the same running back in 2019.  What he did not address is what the Rams plan to do about it. Snead did indicate that the Rams definitely intend to do better in the running game in 2020.   Even still, Snead defended Gurley’s lofty contract, all the while conceding that it fails the sniff test when analyzed using NFL data analytics.  And that perhaps is the point damning bit of evidence of the Rams intentions to part ways with Gurley this season. You see, Les Snead is a strong advocate of using data analytics in virtually all personnel decisions.