Why Todd Gurley signing with the Falcons makes perfect sense
By John Buhler
Todd Gurley has found a new NFL home with the Atlanta Falcons. Here is why Atlanta signing the former All-Pro running back makes all the sense in the world.
A Dawg is now a Falcon.
Yes, former Georgia Bulldogs and Los Angeles Rams superstar running back Todd Gurley is back in The ATL as a member of the Dirty Birds. Gurley was released by the Rams on Thursday after they didn’t want to pay him over $10 million for the 2020 campaign. He signed a massive contract with Los Angeles, but the Rams didn’t honor it, so they’ll eat an absurd amount of money for it.
Though a risky move for the Falcons, it’s so worth it for the Dirty Birds to make. It’s not just getting an upgrade over Devonta Freeman on a team-friendly one-year deal, nor is it bringing a college hero home, nor is it even really keeping him away from signing with a division rival like the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Here is why Gurley to the Falcons makes all the sense in the world.
The big thing that is getting lost in all of this are the similar team-building philosophies of these two organization’s general managers. Falcons general manager Thomas Dimitroff has been in Atlanta since 2008 after having been part of Bill Belichick organizations in the New England Patriots and the Cleveland Browns before that.
After a decade-plus on the job in Atlanta, Dimitroff has yielded two notable general manager protegés, David Caldwell of the Jacksonville Jaguars and Les Snead of the Rams. All three organizations have drafted a quarterback with a top-three pick. They’re not afraid to move up and down the draft board. They like big-time playmakers on defense and star college running backs.
Though Atlanta could have gone with Gurley at No. 8 in the 2015 NFL Draft, the Falcons opted to go with All-American pass-rusher Vic Beasley out of Cleveland. Gurley went to the Rams and edge rusher Dante Fowler Jr. was already off the board to Jacksonville at No. 3. Atlanta didn’t bring back Beasley and has now signed two of the top-10 picks from that draft in Fowler and Gurley.
In short, Gurley fits the Falcons offense perfectly from a schematic fit and a front-office philosophical standpoint. If Falcons offense coordinator Dirk Koetter has to abandon the run early in games like he always tends to do, Gurley is a great receiver out of the backfield with 218 career catches for 2,090 yards and a dozen trips to pay dirt. He’s also not afraid to block somebody.
For $5 million in 2020, Gurley doesn’t even have to be the bell-cow for this offense. We should expect a good, healthy mix of Ito Smith, Brian Hill and Qadree Ollison. Gurley is also a bigger body than Freeman, which should help the Falcons offense be more formidable in the red zone. Atlanta can also still select a running back with one of three top-100 picks in the 2020 NFL Draft.
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Overall, the Falcons are getting a player who was spurned by his former team, who will be playing in front of a fanbase who already loves him and in a new offense with tremendous talent. Matt Ryan, Julio Jones, Alex Mack and Jake Matthews have all been to Pro Bowls in Atlanta. Calvin Ridley is well on his way and Hayden Hurst might be the next Austin Hooper. Gurley fits in here.