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In the early stages of training camp, Sean McVay told reporters that Todd Gurley was going to be on a “veteran plan” for practice and the preseason. Of course, he and the other starters never played a preseason snap, but Gurley’s work in practice was also limited.
He never took the field on consecutive days as the Rams worked to get his knee back up to full strength. He looked good in the season opener against the Panthers, but his workload was still limited as he got just 15 touches.
On Thursday, McVay told reporters that his managed workload and practice schedule are not just about his knee, but preserving his entire body for the duration of the season.
“It’s just more about just managing how he is feeling,” McVay said when asked if it’s about keeping Gurley’s knee healthy. “When you look at the pounding that running backs take – just in terms of just how their body is feeling. It’s not exclusive to any specific part of his body, it’s just really his body and he’s feeling good so that’s the approach we’ll take today.”
Gurley practiced on both Wednesday and Thursday and has yet to appear on the injury report for even a veteran rest day – including the Week 1 injury report. That’s clearly a good sign for his health and how he’s feeling, which doesn’t seem to be much of a concern for the running back.
“I’m fine. Soreness after the game, nothing too crazy,” he told reporters Thursday.
As for his practice schedule?
“It’s been the exact same thing the last couple of years. It’s nothing new,” Gurley said. “I don’t know if you’ve been paying attention the last couple of years, but my schedule as far as practice has been the exact same way.”
McVay believes Gurley’s practice schedule will typically involve him getting in work on two of the three days. That’s not atypical for a veteran player, as the Rams typically give many of their older players days off – most notably Andrew Whitworth.
“I think it’s kind of by day. I think ideally, we’ve said in a situation where we’ve mapped it out over the course of the year, it’s probably two out of three days,” he said. “There might be some specific things – this is the heaviest day of install, so there’s some things that maybe we want to get timed up with him and work through. If he’s feeling good, that’s something we want to be able to do.”
Only time will tell whether this is the best approach and how well Gurley will hold up over the course of the season. The Rams clearly want to keep him as healthy as possible, which is understandable after paying him more than $14 million per season.
It just remains to be seen whether this lightened workload will pay off in the long run.
