Falcons 'Very Comfortable' with Todd Gurley's Knee After Injury, Says GM

The Atlanta Falcons aren't concerned about the health of Todd Gurley II amid longstanding concerns over his left knee.

"He really takes care of his body well," Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff said Tuesday, per Falcons beat writer Kelsey Conway. "We feel very comfortable with it. He's a hard-charging runner and we're counting on him being an excellent player for us."

Gurley tore his ACL in November 2014 during his junior year at Georgia.

The Los Angeles Rams selected him 10th overall in the 2015 draft, a move that paid off through his first four seasons. He ran for 4,547 yards and 46 touchdowns while catching 187 passes for 1,883 yards and 10 scores. The 25-year-old was a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro.

However, Gurley's usage toward the end of the Rams' Super Bowl LIII run was puzzling. He carried the ball just 14 times in the NFC title game and Super Bowl.

Then Gurley's trainer confirmed in June 2019 he had an "arthritic component" to his surgically repaired knee, which raised an obvious red flag.

His 2019 performance did little to assuage any fears. He carried the ball 223 times for 857 yards and 12 touchdowns, and his 1,064 yards from scrimmage were a career low. Football Outsiders ranked him 21st in DYAR (defense-adjusted yards above replacement) among 45 running backs with at least 100 carries.

Two years after signing him to a four-year, $60 million extension, the Rams released Gurley, a sign of how quickly his stock has fallen.

The Athletic's Jeff Schultz spoke to a source who emphasized how difficult it will be to project the impact of Gurley: "Once a player has an arthritic condition, you don't know what's going to happen. It's different for every person. You're sort of playing Russian roulette because you never know how fast it will accelerate."

Terrell Davis, whose Hall of Fame career was derailed by knee injuries, expressed doubt about whether Gurley can remain an elite runner.

The Falcons only signed him to a one-year, $6 million contract, so they can easily move on in 2021 if his career continues trending downward.

But there's an obvious level of risk Atlanta assumed when it brought him in to replace Devonta Freeman.