Todd Gurley Is Gone. Now, What Do The Rams Do At Running Back?

What are the Rams going to do with Todd Gurley and his giant contract? We found out. They cut him, very unceremoniously. In many ways, it’s sad that the Rams had to move on from the 25-year-old running back. He amassed quite the resume over his five seasons with the Rams; Rookie of the Year, three-time Pro Bowler, two-time first-team All-Pro selection, and 2017 Offensive Player of the Year. But, as they say, football is a business and paying a king’s ransom for an RB with a bum knee is bad for business.

The Rams have answered that big looming question about Todd Gurley, but now what? What options do the Rams now have to replace Gurley?

Currently on the roster: Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown

Having these two backs on the roster doesn’t sufficiently answer the question of who to move into the starting role. Neither has shown with any clarity that they are the heir apparent. Each possesses good qualities, but neither are as well rounded as Gurley was in his prime.

Brown is a quality pass blocker, but, in all reality, has never really been used as an offensive weapon. His career totals in all categories are lower than what Gurley produced in any given year. That being said, a pass-blocking back is very important to Sean McVay and Jared Goff.

Conversely, Darrell Henderson showed some potential in his rookie season, but pass blocking has never been his skill set. At Memphis, Henderson’s job was to move the ball downfield. And that is exactly what he did. In his final season, he averaged 8.9 yards per carry, for a total of 1,909 yards and 22 touchdowns.

It’s hard to judge his pro football abilities given the small sample size, Henderson only played 8% of offensive snaps last season. It is clear that as a Tiger, Henderson was one of the most potent college running backs of all time. Unfortunately, the AAC is not the NFL and Henderson will have to prove he can rush and block to truly move into Gurley’s role.

Given the binary skill sets of these two backs, the Rams still have to add another back to have an effective running game. It is apparent that the Rams believe in both backs and if they are committed to keeping both, they should look to the San Francisco model; Use several running backs to keep the defense off kilter. Of course, this means the Rams would have to add one or two more running backs to the team and do so on-the-cheap.