Buffalo Bills should snap up Todd Gurley as soon as possible
By James Reeve
The Buffalo Bills should do everything in their power to land free agent running back Todd Gurley, who was recently released by the Los Angeles Rams.
The Rams’ decision to let Todd Gurley go could be the perfect opportunity for the Buffalo Bills to add to their backfield, with plenty of questions still surrounding the position.
The Bills rely on the running game quite heavily with Josh Allen under center, running a one-two punch of Frank Gore and Devin Singletary last season, with the pair (plus Allen) reaching at least 500 yards on the ground respectively.
Allen was the most successful in the red zone, however, recording nine rushing touchdowns while Gore and Singletary had two apiece.
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With Gore no longer on the roster, and unlikely to be back in Upstate New York in 2020, this leaves Sean McDermott‘s team with a hole to be filled, with a player such as Gurley being the perfect potential addition.
Gurley had a down year by his standards in 2019, averaging just 3.8 yards per carry, but still managed to earn 857 yards on the ground and hit the end zone an impressive 12 times in the process.
In his first five seasons in the NFL, Gurley has eclipsed the 1000 yard mark three times, combining for 5404 in total, with 58 rushing touchdowns.
He has earned Rookie of the Year (2015) and Offensive Player of the Year (2017) honours in his career to date, with his best year coming in 2017; rushing for 1305 yards and 13 touchdowns while also receiving a further 788 yards and six touchdowns through the air.
Per Spotrac, Gurley was set to count for over $17 million against the cap in 2020 and the Rams clearly felt that his production wasn’t going to be worth such a hefty sum.
With Melvin Gordon struggling to attract interest on the open market, it may be difficult for Gurley to earn a deal representative of his value, something that could put the Bills perfectly in position to land his talents.
As well as being able to offer him a starting role, on a team that is up-and-coming and developing well in a now wide-open AFC East division, the Bills still have one of the healthiest cap situations in the entire league.
The Buffalo Bills could pay Gurley close to what he is worth, even on a short-term ‘prove it’ deal, where the team can benefit from a significant upgrade on offence and work towards progressing beyond the Wild Card round in the playoffs.
Running backs typically slow down at an increased rate compared to other positions, but putting him on a Bills team that wants to get Allen passing the ball more often could help take the load off his shoulders and keep him healthy throughout the year.
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What do you think though Bills Mafia? Should the team make a splash and bring Todd Gurley into the fold? Who else should they target at the running back position? Let us know your thoughts in the comments below!