What a difference a prized left tackle makes.
The Los Angeles Rams signed free-agent Andrew Whitworth from the Cincinnati Bengals, and the move immediately fixed Todd Gurley. Or so it seems.
Gurley is the first of 10 players listed on a Pro Football Focus article (h/t RamsWire) labeling those who will benefit the most from the free-agency deals that have taken place so far.
While Gurley is certainly at fault to some degree for his poor 2016, running behind one of the worst offensive lines in football didn’t help. He carried the ball 59 times for 143 yards (2.4 YPC) running outside the left tackle position in 2016, and the Rams ranked 26th in run-blocking grade as a team.
The team made a huge splash in free agency by luring longtime Cincinnati Bengal left tackle Andrew Whitworth to the organization. Whitworth has graded out at 85.6 or better in every season since 2009, and has four seasons over 90.0 (which is considered elite), including three of the last four years. His presence is an immediate boost to Gurley and the Rams’ running game as a whole. (Gurley’s fantasy stock should jump with this move as well.)
The Rams still don’t have a center after the Buffalo Bills matched their tender offer to Ryan Groy. But free agent wide receiver Robert Woods is noted as a strong blocker, and the Rams know that a productive Gurley will make it so much easier for second-year quarterback Jared Goff to have success.
After bursting onto the scene with 566 yards in his first four starts with the Rams, Gurley has just one 100-yard performance in his last 24 games, and he had a high of only 85 rushing yards during all of the 2016 season.
But if Whitworth plays as expected and new offensive line coach Aaron Kromer can get Greg Robinson to approach his potential at right tackle, Gurley at least will have a fighting chance in 2017.
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