Rams HC Sean McVay on Todd Gurley Release: 'Tough Decisions Have to Be Made'

Los Angeles Rams head coach Sean McVay appeared on Monday's Rich Eisen Show (h/t Charean Williams of Pro Football Talk) and expressed appreciation for everything running back Todd Gurley did during his five seasons with the team:

McVay also opened up about the difficulty of releasing Gurley, who has since joined the Atlanta Falcons:

"Sometimes tough decisions have to be made. I think he will do a very nice job with the Falcons. For us, the only way I can put it is these decisions are never easy, but more than anything, I think it's important to just represent the type of player, the person and the appreciation for the time that we did have together. That's what I would want to emphasize just because of what he's meant to me and what he's meant to us in the three years we've spent together." 

The head coach also expressed excitement about what youngsters Darrell Henderson and Malcolm Brown can do with extended opportunities and said it was "inaccurate" to say the Rams released Gurley solely because of concerns about his knee.

Jeff Howe of The Athletic reported in March 2019 the University of Georgia product has arthritis in his knee, which is the primary reason he saw a combined 14 carries in the NFC Championship Game and Super Bowl during the team's playoff run to end the 2018 season.

Gurley appeared well on his way to a dominant career as the 2015 Offensive Rookie of the Year and the 2017 Offensive Player of the Year. He made the Pro Bowl in three of his first four seasons but wasn't as effective in 2019.

He ran for 857 yards and just 3.8 yards per carry after averaging 4.9 yards per carry the previous season.

Still, he managed 14 total touchdowns and will look to take advantage of playing inside an offense that also features Julio Jones in Atlanta. Opposing defenses won't be able to afford to stack the box and leave Jones in single coverage on the outside, which could open up rushing lanes for Gurley to attack.

If he does so and resembles the 2017 version of himself, the Falcons will be well positioned to challenge in the NFC South.