With the Los Angeles Rams’ training camp looming only a couple weeks away now, we will finally start to see the 2019 edition of the Rams take shape, while gnawing questions finally start to get answered.

No question seems more mysterious than the condition and long-term future of one of the Rams offensive spearheads, running back Todd Gurley. With Gurley signed to a lucrative long-term deal, we know he’ll be a presence in Los Angeles for at least a few more seasons, but what kind of contribution will he be able to make? Will he be able to remain an upper echelon offensive weapon? How will we look back at the extension that the Rams sent Gurley’s way last July?

Gurley’s limited usage late last season along with the selection of rookie running back Darrell Henderson in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft seem to contrast with the endless stream of glowing reports from the team regarding Gurley’s health, which leaves us outsiders basically guessing where this is all ultimately going.

On the TST podcast recently, Joey The Jerk asked me what I thought of all this Gurley business, and unfortunately my guess was that there must be something up and that it seemed reasonable to expect about two more seasons of Todd playing any kind of a serious role in the Rams offense. But that is 100% based on guesswork, and could be totally wrong…. in fact I really hope that I’m wrong! Who wants to be the non-empathetic cretin to cast doubt on someone else’s health of ability to work? But we’re out here trying to make some sense of all this.

I have a feeling that just like us fans (and even the media), the Rams and Gurley are also wondering what to expect. Based on Gurley’s contract, the Rams and Gurley are set to be wed until at least 2021, so all they can do is keep putting their best foot forward and hope that things work out. So far it seems the plan will be to reduce Gurley’s normally massive workload and have him lose some weight to reduce the pressure on his knee. The plan seems sensible enough, but how will things look after the mid-late season clashes with the Chicago Bears and Baltimore Ravens?

By week 17, at the very least we’ll have a greater sense of clarity on where we stand with Todd Gurley. Will he be able to continue to be the Rams workhorse as he’s been in the past? Will we see carries split the way teams like the New Orleans Saints, Denver Broncos, and Seattle Seahawks have done in their backfields? Or will Gurley be limited and have to take the back seat to Darrell Henderson in some games, similarly to when C.J. Anderson arrived last season?

Who knows?

Not us, not the Rams, and not Todd Gurley. All we can do is let it play out and hope. In any event, all parties involved can look forward to some semblance of clarity in all this, so that Todd’s knee is not the center of conversation for two offseasons in a row.

Good luck, TG3!

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