Todd Gurley remains unsigned with less than a week until the 2021 NFL season begins. Which teams should still take a chance on the veteran runner?
It wasn’t all that long ago that Todd Gurley was considered among the premier running backs in the NFL. His time in the Rams backfield was extremely fruitful as he represented a key piece in the explosive offense. But over the last two seasons, he’s been on a bit of a decline, spending one with the Los Angeles and last year with the Atlanta Falcons.
Over both of those seasons, Gurley’s history of knee injuries has seemingly caught up with him. He’s averaged comfortably under 4.0 yards per carry over the two campaigns while also showing he can’t be a lead back anymore in terms of workload. But in terms of being a platoon player or backup, you have to believe that a player who is just 27 years old could still make an impact if kept on a pitch count — which is why it’s shocking he remains unsigned in September.
So, as the 2021 NFL season begins in less than a week, which NFL teams should roll the dice on signing Todd Gurley? These three landing spots would make perfect sense.
Landing spots for Todd Gurley in the 2021 NFL season
3. Baltimore Ravens – Earlier in the 2021 offseason, this would’ve been a near-ludicrous assertion for the Ravens. Not only did they have a veteran in Gus Edwards on the depth chart but Ravens fans were readying for second-year back J.K. Dobbins to take over the lead role and potentially become a star.
Now that Dobbins suffered a torn ACL in the preseason, however, the narrative has changed. John Harbaugh and the front office have asserted they won’t seek outside running back help but their feelings may change if they want to keep rocking a committee approach. The depth is weak behind Edwards and Gurley could give that group a little spark.
2. Carolina Panthers – This might seem a little out there because, frankly, the Panthers have the best running back in the NFL on the roster. Christian McCaffrey’s ability as both a runner and pass-catcher is unmatched in the league. But the fact remains that he missed most of last season and the guy who filled in for him, Mike Davis, is now in Atlanta.
Carolina did draft Chuba Hubbard out of Oklahoma State but there isn’t as sure of a thing backing up McCaffrey right now. While signing Gurley could come off a bit like handcuffing your top running back in fantasy football, the fact remains that, if McCaffrey goes down with the Panthers current roster, that offense could be in trouble.
1. New York Jets – After the draft, people were excited about Michael Carter getting a ton of work in the Jets rushing attack moving forward, as well as him being a nice pass-catcher. However, a less than inspiring preseason performance has left many questioning that initial assessment.
Yes, veteran Tevin Coleman remains in the New York backfield but they would love a bit more security or at least more bodies to throw at the problem. That’s where Gurley could come in, working in tandem with the group already in place to hopefully provide a quality rushing attack as a whole.
