Todd Gurley can fill Arizona Cardinals hole at running back
By Jim Koch
The running back room of the Arizona Cardinals is relatively thin at the present time. General manager Steve Keim allowed Kenyan Drake to bolt during free agency, leaving the squad with just one experienced ball-carrier. Fourth-year pro Chase Edmonds likely lacks the size (5’9, 205), however, to take on an extensive workload for the Cards offense.
It just so happens that there’s an intriguing option out there for the Cardinals who is still looking for work. Todd Gurley, a running back who Arizona knows well, would be interesting addition to the “Air Raid” scoring attack. The 10th-overall selection of the 2015 NFL Draft did loads of damage to the Redbirds in the past when he was a key member of the St. Louis/Los Angeles Rams.
Gurley, who surprisingly is just 26 years of age, left the Rams in April of 2020 to sign a one-year deal with the Atlanta Falcons. It was a disappointing season for the Baltimore native, who averaged just 3.5 yards per carry for the Falcons. Gurley rushed for 678 yards and nine touchdowns during his 15 starts for the organization last fall.
Apparently, Atlanta has very little interest in bringing Gurley back to their nest in 2021. That’s where the Cardinals come in. Gurley could very well act as an excellent compliment for the 24-year old Edmonds during the upcoming campaign.
Gurley starred at the University of Georgia for three seasons (2012-14) before he turned pro following his junior year. As a rookie in ’15, the former Bulldog ran for 1,106 yards and 10 touchdowns on the ground for the Rams. In 2016, Gurley totaled 885 yards and six scores on the ground, and also added another 327 yards on 43 receptions for Los Angeles.
Pro Bowl invitations awaited Gurley at the conclusion of the 2015, 2017 and 2018 seasons. He racked up an outstanding 2,093 yards from scrimmage and 19 total scores in ’17. In ’18, Gurley tallied 1,251 rushing yards, 580 receiving yards and a combined 21 touchdowns for the Rams offensive unit.
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A backfield combination featuring Gurley and Edmonds would be exciting to watch. Sharing the load would keep both players fresh, and would likely keep both backs healthy as well. The Cards front office should do their due diligence, and find out what it would take to bring the highly-regarded Gurley to the Arizona desert.