These 5 Atlanta Falcons players are in need of a great 2020 season
By Deen Worley
2. Todd Gurley
Todd Gurley stole the headlines for the Atlanta Falcons in the offseason. The addition of the former LA Rams running backfills in a hole that has been a weak point in the Atlanta Falcons for the past couple of years. The past two seasons have seen the Atlanta Falcons use a deep rotation of running backs due to both injuries and overall poor performance.
The reality of the situation with Todd Gurley is that there is no way you can get a thorough medical diagnosis on how healthy he is with the ongoing pandemic. It’s hard to not look over the fact that there is a reason the Rams parted ways with the running back and paid a hefty price in doing so. In 2019, the Rams held back on the number of carries they gave Gurley in order to protect his arthritic knee problem.
Dirk Koetter went onto ESPN and discussed how Gurley’s health is cause for concern for the Atlanta Falcons – this is not new information by any means – but he still is an impact player. Flirting with any kind of carry restriction is not what you want to hear and I am actually rather hopeful that Koetter’s statements are just smoke and pandering to the people who want to overlook the signing.
Nonetheless, it isn’t lost on people how much of a game-changer Gurley is when the ball is in his hands. He has a skill that is hard to match and if fully healthy, is the best running back in the NFC south. How Gurley fares in 2020 will be one of the major factors in determining how far our offense can go.
Although the passing game is still the bread and butter of this Atlanta Falcons offense, the importance of a run game will be more crucial in 2020 as the Atlanta Falcons will enter the season without proven weapons in Mohamed Sanu and Austin Hooper.
Those lost targets will be spread thin on the back of Gurley and the young receivers on the perimeter. Todd Gurley will be 26 by the time the season starts. Just three seasons ago Gurley put up over 2000 all-purpose yards at the age of 23. A “comeback” season in 2020 would be huge for both parties as this team looks to push for the super bowl in a do or die season for a lot of people in this organization.