Is Todd Gurley’s Career a Concern?

Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley’s career could be in jeopardy and here is why: Todd Gurley has suffered from many injuries throughout his short and successful career in the NFL and college career. These include a pedal ankle sprain grade 2, a pedal toe turf toe, a knee strain grade 1, and last but not least, the one that could potentially be his biggest problem – a grade 3 knee ACL tear in his left knee. Prior to being drafted 10th overall in the 2015 NFL draft by the the St. Louis Rams at the time, (Now known as the Los Angeles Rams) Gurley suffered a devastating Grade 3 ACL tear in his left knee on the date of November 15th, 2014 while playing a game against the Auburn Tigers, the injury was of non-contact variety. Gurley’s teammate at the time, Wide Receiver Malcolm Mitchell was sitting on the sidelines when Gurley had torn his ACL and Mitchell’s reaction was shocking, he cringed as he saw what had happened to his fellow teammate. Malcolm Mitchell had torn his ACL the year before while celebrating a 75-yard touchdown run by Todd Gurley, as soon as Gurley hit the ground clenching his knee in pain, Mitchell knew what had happened due to his experience of tearing his ACL. In an interview after the tragic incident, Mitchell said the following about the eventful day. “When I saw it happen, I was terrified for him, I knew how much coming back and playing with the team meant to him. Because of the mistake he made, a lot of opportunities got taken away from him. This was his time to shine, and he was shining.”

Fast-forward to the 2015 NFL season, Todd Gurley missed the first 2 games of the season and was cleared to play week 3 against the Pittsburgh Steelers. Gurley went on to start 12 more games that season and sat out week 17 against the San Francisco 49ers for rest. During the 2015 season, Gurley’s career took off rapidly as he finished his rookie season with 250 touches, 1,294 scrimmage yards, and 10 total touchdowns as he went on to win AP Offensive Rookie of the Year, Second-team All-Pro, PFWA All-Rookie Team, and was voted into the 2015 NFL Pro Bowl. Fast-forward to the 2018 NFL season and Gurley’s success was still at an all-time high, some would say his success even soared to new heights. In week 1 of the 2018 NFL season, Todd Gurley suffered an unspecified left knee injury, the same knee that Gurley had torn his ACL in 2014. Dealing with this injury until the final 2 games of the season, Gurley decided to sit out. Gurley reported soreness in his left knee following a loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in week 15. As mentioned previously above, Gurley sat out of the last 2 games and continued playing through the injury in the Postseason. Through the 3 games played in the postseason, Gurley rushed for 160 yards on 30 carries, to go along with 2 touchdowns, he also had 4 receptions to go along with 5 receiving yards and 0 touchdowns. It is no secret that his workload was being managed heavily in the Postseason due to his lingering knee soreness. After losing to the New England Patriots in Super Bowl 53 with a final score of 13-3, reports started coming out that Todd Gurley was diagnosed with arthritis in his left knee, the same knee that he tore his ACL in and the same knee that he had soreness in during the 2018 NFL season. Since finding out about the arthritis, Gurley and the Los Angeles Rams have decided to put Gurley on an offseason workout plan to try and rehab his knee. Rams head coach Sean McVay told reporters earlier this offseason that the team will be “putting Todd Gurley through several different treatments to rehab his knee, including stem cell treatment.” According to reports that came out earlier this month. Gurley’s knee injury is a real concern to him and the team, many people around the league also believe that Todd Gurley should no longer be the Rams workhorse back. These concerns come after the Rams drafted running back Darrell Henderson out of Memphis in the 4th round of the 2019 NFL draft. To everyone who is involved in football like fans, analysts, and NFL personnel, Todd Gurley’s knee seems to be very concerning towards the future of his career. Only time will tell how Gurley’s career will play out, but everyone hopes that Gurley returns to the MVP caliber play we have seen when he is healthy.