The Falcons entered free agency with a major need at running back, which the team addressed by landing Todd Gurley less than 24 hours after his release from Los Angeles. A three-time All-Pro selection and former NFL Offensive Player of the Year, Gurley should be an enormous upgrade on aging plodder Devonta Freeman, who Atlanta showed the door earlier this offseason. But even with Gurley in tow, the Falcons may not be finished remodeling their backfield.
Christian Crittenden of Sports Illustrated doesn’t think the Gurley signing would stop the Falcons from pursuing Wisconsin standout Jonathan Taylor in the upcoming NFL Draft. He’s not alone in that belief as Todd McShay had the Falcons selecting Taylor with the 47th overall pick in a recent mock draft filed to ESPN. Adding another running back to the fold may not be the best allocation of resources after investing in a player of Gurley’s elite caliber, though GM Thomas Dimitroff has been adamant that Atlanta will employ a committee backfield in 2020.
Downgrading Gurley, one of the game’s preeminent workhorses throughout his Rams tenure, to timeshare status seems criminal on the surface, but it may be what’s necessary given his injury background. Gurley has a lengthy history of knee injuries and is already showing signs of decline. The 857 rushing yards he produced in 2019 were the fewest of his five-year career. Gurley’s contract length—he essentially signed a one-year “prove-it” deal—would also suggest the Falcons have reservations about the 25-year-old’s durability.
Though it would frustrate fantasy owners to no end, adding Taylor, a two-time Doak Walker Award-winner and unanimous All-American the past two seasons as well as the fourth-leading rusher in FBS history, as a complement to Gurley would give Atlanta’s ground game the jolt it sorely lacked last season. Taylor is not without flaws—he proved fumble-prone at the collegiate level (15 cough-ups in three seasons) and logged an exhausting 968 touches during his three-year stay in Madison. But even with those shortcomings in mind, Taylor’s rare blend of size (5’10”/226) and speed (4.39 forty) makes him arguably the most intriguing back in this year’s draft class.
It’s a long shot, but if Taylor is still on the board when Atlanta picks in the second round, don’t be surprised if the Falcons pounce on the former Badger.
