Todd

Gurley

Gurley visited with the Ravens in June, fueling speculation that the team could sign him after losing J.K. Dobbins to a season-ending knee injury. Anderson reports the Ravens are comfortable with their running back depth chart, which now features Gus Edwards at the top and preseason star Ty’Son Williams as the No. 2 RB. Edwards’ ADP will rocket into the fourth or fifth round of 12-team drafts following Dobbins’ injury.

Losing J.K. Dobbins to a torn ACL creates an opening for Gurley, who’s been waiting for the right opportunity to sign. Gurley visited with the Ravens in June but left without a deal. It’s possible the sides revisit talks if the Ravens view Gurley as an upgrade on Gus Edwards. The Ravens’ offense has been hit hard with injuries, with Dobbins, Rashod Bateman, and Marquise Brown all sidelined.

The prospect of Gurley’s return to LA has been raised after the team lost Cam Akers to a season-ending Achilles injury. Rodrigue said the Rams “clearly don’t believe that Gurley can be effective in the run game anymore (even in a rotation!) due to the injuries that they hemmed and hawed around for the entire 2019 season, which is why they cut him in early 2020 despite owing him a lot more money.” LA owes Gurley, 27 in August, $8.4 million in dead money this season. The Rams, Rodrigue said, are “more likely to open camp and move through the first week or so, if not longer, without signing anybody.” For now, Darrell Henderson appears to be the team’s top back. Xavier Jones and Jake Funk could be in line for playing time should Henderson struggle with injuries.

“I don’t know that veteran route is something we’ll rule out, but it’s not something we’re looking at right now,” was McVay’s exact quote. This, of course, can hardly be taken as gospel that the Rams won’t add a veteran back, but it’s not surprising they are going the in-house route for now. The Rams have seemed skeptical that Darrell Henderson can operate as a true starting back, but he rebounded splendidly in 2020 from his forgettable rookie campaign. He is capable of making plays on all three downs. Behind Henderson, the Rams have Raymond Calais and seventh-round rookie Jake Funk. In other words, not exactly the cavalry. McVay could quickly decide he needs a veteran complement. Don’t count on it being Todd Gurley. That ship long ago sailed. Adrian Peterson will almost certainly at least generate some internal discussion in Los Angeles.

Detroit’s coaching staff talked as if Gurley was already negotiating a deal with the team at their most recent press conference, so this news comes as a bit of a shock. Even so, Baltimore’s offense is obviously a much better destination than Detroit’s as a launching point at this stage of the veteran’s career. D’Andre Swift and Jamaal Williams would be the real winners if the Ravens land Gurley, who turns 27 in August.

“We have interest in Todd, we do,” Campbell confirmed Thursday. “And we’re talking with his agent.” Gurley, 27 in August, has been linked to Detroit given his ties to former Rams and new Lions GM Brad Holmes and seems more than likely to sign there in the coming weeks. The veteran running back doesn’t bring much to the table but would undoubtedly become another thorn (behind Jamaal Williams) in D’Andre Swift’s side.

This sure smells of new Lions GM Brad Holmes, who was in the Rams’ front office while Gurley was with L.A., doing Gurley a favor. The Lions already have D’Andre Swift headed into his second season and signed Jamaal Williams earlier in the offseason. There’s no room for Gurley’s broken-down body in this backfield. Gurley has drawn zero free-agent interest up to this point. He turns 28 in August and just doesn’t have a lot left in his knees.

It was always unlikely the injury-ravaged veteran would return for a second season in Atlanta, where he served as a change-of-pace back in the season’s final month and a half. “It’s really difficult to justify Gurley staying,” McElhaney said, adding that it “may make more sense for the Falcons to look to the draft for a replacement if there is a running back on the table for them in the second or third round.” Gurley signed a one-year, incentive-laden contract with the Falcons last spring. Depending on where he signs, Gurley -- who had the 113th highest Pro Football Focus grade among running backs in 2020 -- will be little more than a late-round pick in fantasy drafts next summer.

Gurley ended his 2020 season with a dreadful whimper. He lacked any semblance of burst or agility all year and routinely looked worse than both Ito Smith and Brian Hill. His one saving grace from a fantasy perspective was goal line usage. He finished with five scores inside the five yard-line and eight red zone touchdowns. Gurley also logged 25 receptions for 264 receiving yards. He signed a one-year deal with Atlanta in the offseason and his lackluster performance with the Falcons all but guarantees that they won’t be bringing him back. Gurley could sign another prove-it deal with a team in need of RB depth but it doesn’t seem like he will be proving much of anything going forward. The best-case scenario for him is that he walks into a high-value backup role with a new team next year. From a fantasy angle, Gurley will need to land in the perfect spot to even be on the radar in 2021.

Today was the fifth straight week Gurley failed to reach 10 touches. It’s quite possible Week 17 against the Bucs is Gurley’s final game in a Falcons uniform, which raises the question of whether he will even crack someone’s 53-man roster in 2021. Gurley’s knee is in a bad place.