Getty Former Falcons RB Todd Gurley rushed for a career-low 678 yards in 15 starts in 2020.
From the additions of Orlando Brown Jr., Joe Thuney, Kyle Long and Jarran Reed, to the free agents that got away in Trent Williams and JuJu Smith-Schuster, the Kansas City Chiefs’ offseason has been chock full of big names.
However, count ESPN’s Bill Barnwell among those who believe Andy Reid’s club isn’t quite done adding star power to its 2021 roster. In his May 24 piece “Predicting 15 post-June 1 deadline NFL deals,” the ESPN analyst explored a possible match between the Chiefs and former Los Angeles Rams and Atlanta Falcons running back Todd Gurley.
Sorry, Julio Jones fans.
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Gurley Best Suited as a Third-Down Back?
Having expended its 2020 first-rounder on Clyde Edwards-Helaire, the Chiefs, like most every NFL team at this point, have an established lead back heading into mandatory minicamp in June. Kansas City has also already taken a free agent flier on Jerick McKinnon as a potential rotational contributor alongside fourth-year backup Darrel Williams.
That raises the question of where Gurley would fit into the picture in Andy Reid’s pass-heavy offense. For Barnwell, the most sensible opportunity is as a primary third-down player.
The former two-time All-Pro averaged just 3.5 yards per carry and ranked 44th out of 47 backs in DVOA last season. At this point, Gurley will have to be realistic: He’s not going to get an opportunity to serve as a starting back. He hasn’t been an explosive receiver over the past couple of seasons, but his best role might be as a third-down back, where he can block and serve as a sure pair of hands on checkdowns.
At this point of the offseason, though, just about every running back spot is filled. Gurley could wait for an opportunity to open up via injury, like Devonta Freeman did a year ago, but I wonder whether there’s a fit on the AFC champs. The Chiefs obviously are moving forward with Clyde Edwards-Helaire as their starter, but the backups for their first-round pick are the unconvincing duo of Darrel Williams and Jerick McKinnon.
Gurley would have to come into camp and compete with those guys for a roster spot, but there’s an opportunity for a few snaps per game on one of the league’s best offenses behind Edwards-Helaire.
Unlike years past, the cost to acquire the 2021 version of Gurley could be a viable option for Kansas City if interested, with Barnwell predicting a one-year, $1.1 million deal — just north of the $990K general manager Brett Veach gave McKinnon on April 30. That number would come at an 80% discount from even his most recent contract, the one-year, $5.5 million deal Gurley signed with Atlanta last March.
Atlanta Remains a Top Landing Spot for Gurley
Like McKinnon, Gurley has also dealt with a litany of knee injuries, including career-long ramifications stemming from the torn ACL suffered during his final year at Georgia in 2014. In June 2019, Gurley’s trainer Travelle Gaines told CBS Sports that the former 10th overall draft pick was managing an “arthritic component to his knee.”
That season, after three consecutive years of at least 315 touches, Gurley’s workload dropped to 254 touches before being cut to 220 in Atlanta in 2020. Naturally, Gurley’s production has also been impacted. After leading the NFL in scrimmage touchdowns in 2017 (19) and 2018 (21) while posting 3,924 total yards over the span, the former Offensive Player of the Year’s scrimmage yards have been cut in half to 1,906 over his last 30 starts dating back to 2019.
Gurley’s 3.5 yards per carry average in 2020 was also the second-lowest of his career, trailing only his 2016 sophomore campaign (3.2 YPC) for the 4-12 Rams, while his 678 rushing yards and 164 receiving yards last season were both career-worsts.
Still, if Kansas City holds its ground with its current running backs group, Gurley remains a prime candidate to return to the Falcons, who have very little depth or experience behind No. 1 option Mike Davis.
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Chris Licata is an NFL contributor covering the Kansas City Chiefs from enemy territory in Denver, Colorado. Follow him on Twitter @Chris__Licata or join the Heavy on Chiefs Facebook community for the latest out of Chiefs Kingdom!
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