At times this offseason, you’d have thought Todd Gurley couldn’t even run anymore.

The stories about Gurley’s demise weren’t hard to come by, with each one more gloomy than the last. After his mysterious disappearance in the playoffs last season, and news of an arthritic knee, the negative coverage of the Los Angeles Rams running back was practically everywhere.

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Then on Thursday, Rams coach Sean McVay said Gurley won’t even be on a play count to start the season. Oh.

Sean McVay said Todd Gurley won’t be limited

Lindsay Thiry of ESPN reported that McVay said Gurley won’t be limited against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

That doesn’t mean Gurley is as good as new. McVay could be throwing off the Panthers in their preparation. Gurley could be on that plan, then his knee acts up again. One statement by McVay doesn’t erase all the other pessimistic news of the offseason.

But for anyone who drafted Gurley in their fantasy drafts, it’s pretty good news.

Rams invested in backup running backs

Gurley was one of the NFL’s true workhorse backs before late last season. In the playoffs, he was suddenly splitting time nearly equally with C.J. Anderson. Even in the Super Bowl against the Patriots, Gurley was far from a full-time player.

Gurley has knee injuries in his past, though he’s just 25 years old. The Rams matched Detroit’s restricted free agent offer sheet for Malcolm Brown and moved up to draft Darrell Henderson in the third round. They invested in the backs behind Gurley, a sign they didn’t know what to expect from their star. Whatever McVay said this week, we’ll need to see what the actual plan is for Gurley when the Rams kick off the season.

Of all the players in Week 1, Gurley has to be one of the most mysterious.

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley was limited late last season by knee issues. (AP)

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Frank Schwab is a writer for Yahoo Sports. Have a tip? Email him at shutdown.corner@yahoo.com or follow him on Twitter! Follow @YahooSchwab

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