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The Los Angeles Rams let Todd Gurley, his balky knee, and his big contract go this offseason and the Atlanta Falcons ended up signing him to a one-year deal worth $5 million. The deal is still contingent on him passing a physical, which brings us to Tuesday. GM Thomas Dimitroff said that Gurley hasn’t taken his physical yet, but that they are confident he will pass, per ESPN’s Vaughn McClure. The Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter wasn’t quite as bullish on Thursday, saying, “The main question, that no one seems to know, is what is his health status,” per Mike Conti of 92.9 The Game.
If healthy, Gurley stands to be the lead back in a good offense, but we know his knee condition is chronic and that cutting his work back last season didn’t really work, as he averaged just 3.8 yards per carry for the Rams. The Falcons also have Ito Smith and Brian Hill, but even a gimpy Gurley could start ahead of them if he wasn’t completely out with an injury.
The Falcons will likely add another running back to the group and look to use multiple backs, which they’ve done in the past. If Gurley can be the lead back, he has fantasy value, but it will take a leap of faith to draft him this season with so many questions surrounding his status and a poor 2019 season under his belt.