Sean McVay knows fantasy owners everywhere are looking for any and all information when it comes to Todd Gurley’s workload this season. He made that very clear during his press conference Monday – in his usual fun-loving manner, of course.
“You got a fantasy squad or something?” McVay quipped, joking with a reporter who asked about the Rams’ running backs.
McVay and the Rams have played it very close to the vest this offseason when it comes to Gurley and how he’ll be used. General manager Les Snead made it seem like the team would reduce his carries in 2019, while McVay has said he’ll use Gurley like normal until he’s told otherwise.
There have been very few hints about how the Rams will utilize their three-player backfield or how much Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr. will be utilized. McVay is confidence in both backups but didn’t give much clarity on who will be the first guy off the bench.
“Todd Gurley is feeling good, he’s our starting back. He’s been one of the best all-purpose backs, based on his production and what he’s done for us over the last couple of years,” McVay said. “We’ve got two guys in Malcolm Brown and Darrell Henderson Jr. that we feel really confident about, being able to spell him. But what we do as far as activating different personnel groups and things like that – those are things that we will see on Sunday.”
He did, however, say that all three of them will play, and hinted at deploying some three-back sets.
“Oh yeah. Absolutely,” he said of whether they’ll all play. “Maybe three at a time.”
It’s hard to imagine McVay putting all three running backs on the field at the same time, just based on his history. Last season, the Rams ran a total of five plays with more than one running back on the field. That was by far the lowest total in the league.
However, Henderson’s skill set adds a different element. He lined up at wide receiver several times in the preseason, which is something Gurley has done a lot of in the last two years, too. You could possibly see Gurley and Henderson split out wide with Brown as the tailback, putting defenses in a bind and leaving them to wonder what type of play is coming.
Of course, McVay could’ve just been playing it coy and misleading everyone by throwing that idea out there, but the Rams have the running backs available to use some interesting personnel groupings.
