After a miserable 2016, the Los Angeles Rams have to find out if they have a franchise player in their former first-round draft pick—Todd Gurley.
A recent ESPN.com article pointed out a priority for the Rams is to get second-year quarterback Jared Goff up to speed on new coach Sean McVay’s offense. But it’s Gurley, the 2015 NFC Rookie of the Year, that has to get back to his big-play potential to get the Rams pointed in the direction they want to go.
The Rams made a couple of key offseason acquisitions on the offensive line in left tackle Andrew Whitworth and center John Sullivan. The veterans should help protect Goff, but the primary beneficiary should be Gurley.
No matter the improvement of Goff, the Rams still seemingly have a ceiling in the passing game with primary targets Tavon Austin and Robert Woods. The Rams have many holes to fill in the upcoming draft and don’t have a pick until the second round, so they may not have access to the stretch-the-field playmaker they need in the passing game.
So Gurley has to re-establish himself as the stretch-the-field playmaker in the run game.
Gurley had 11 runs of 20 yards or more during his rookie season in 2015, in which he finished with 1,106 yards in just 13 games. Last season, Gurley had two runs 20-plus yards and zero runs over 40. He finished with 885 yards in 16 games, and his yards-per-carry average dipped by 1 1/2 yards.
It’s Gurley who take can some of the pressure off Goff, not the other way around. The Rams would be taking a huge gamble by putting the pressure on the unproven Goff to help Gurley get his production back.
When McVay was in Washington, quarterback Kirk Cousins was able to benefit from watching from the bench as Robert Griffin III played. The Redskins eased Cousins into the starting job, and he’s continued to progress.
Goff had all of nine games to watch from the sidelines last season, and now he has to lift a Rams franchise that hasn’t had a winning record in 14 years. To make him the focal point, even if he can develop into the quarterback of the future, is a lot to ask.
Gurley already has shown he can be an elite running back in the NFL.
For the Rams to make a move toward an NFC West crown, Gurley—not Goff—has to be the catalyst in 2017.
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