Todd Gurley to Participate in 1st Day of Rams Camp Amid Knee Injury Concerns

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay said Friday that running back Todd Gurley will participate in workouts during the first day of training camp Saturday, according to Gary Klein of the Los Angeles Times.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported in March that Gurley has arthritis in his knee, which led to some concern regarding his health entering the 2019 season. 

Gurley missed the final two regular-season games in 2018 with knee inflammation and was out-touched 49-34 by backup C.J. Anderson during L.A.'s playoff run, which culminated in a Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots.

In March, John Breech of CBS Sports reported that a Rams source said Gurley may consider stem cell treatment if his knee does not improve. McVay did not confirm that, but noted there is a treatment plan in place for Gurley's knee:

"As far as the stem cells, that's not something that's been communicated to me, but there is a program. We've got these doctors and there's always new methods of staying as up-to-date as you can, and number one, the player has to feel good about it. Todd does such a good job of doing his own research and knowing what are the things [he] can do.

"I think every year provides a new opportunity based on the research and some of the medical advances to attack it in the right way. As long as Todd is feeling good about that, that's what we'll do."

While the state of Gurley's knee is very much in question, there is no denying what he has accomplished during his four-year NFL career. The 24-year-old is a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time first-team All-Pro who was named the 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year and 2017 Offensive Player of the Year.

He finished second to New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady in the 2017 NFL MVP voting when he led the league with 2,093 yards from scrimmage and 19 total touchdowns, and followed that up by finishing last season with 1,831 yards from scrimmage and 21 total touchdowns.

With Anderson out of the picture, Gurley is the only accomplished NFL running back on L.A.'s roster.

Malcolm Brown is penciled in as the primary backup, but he has rushed for just 514 yards during his four-year NFL career. Rookie third-round pick Darrell Henderson is also in the fold and could play a significant role in 2019.

During his junior season at Memphis last year, Henderson rushed for 1,909 yards and 22 touchdowns, while catching 19 passes for 295 yards and three additional scores.

Until Henderson proves he can get the job done at the NFL level, though, McVay will be forced to rely heavily on Gurley and his balky knee.