Atlanta Falcons: 5 Bold predictions for the 2020 season
4. Todd Gurley will have a bounce-back year
For the first time in six seasons, the Falcons will have a new running back in a starting role coming out of the backfield. With the team going out and signing former Los Angeles Rams running back Todd Gurley in free agency shortly after cutting ties with longtime running back Devonta Freeman, Atlanta is taking a one-year chance on a young talent that showed potential early on in his NFL career.
Gurley, a three-time Pro Bowler and two-time All-Pro running back who was also named Offensive Rookie of the Year in 2015 and Offensive Player of the Year in 2017, is an intriguing addition to an already potent offense in Atlanta and will fit in nicely to what the Falcons try to do on the offensive side of the ball.
And one bold prediction when it comes to the newest member of the Falcons offense is that he will return to form of what we saw out of him throughout his collegiate career and early on as a pro while giving Atlanta a talented back out of the backfield.
Already having the likes of quarterback Matt Ryan, wide receivers Julio Jones and Calvin Ridley and newly acquired tight end target Hayden Hurst, Gurley adds an aspect to the Falcons offense that will grab the attention of opposing defenses and will open things up for other players on his new team.
If Gurley is able to return to form of what he showed in the early stages of his professional career, he will undoubtedly provide a boost to the Falcons offense and their running game in 2020. It was a signing that is definitely worth exploring, considering Gurley has been viewed as one of the top backs in the NFL since he broke into the league in 2015.
In 2019, Gurley wrapped up his fifth season in the NFL and with Rams after he was selected out of Georgia with the No. 10 pick in the 2015 NFL Draft. In 15 regular-season appearances last year, the young running back finished with 857 rushing yards and 12 touchdowns on 223 carries, also hauling in 207 receiving yards with 31 catches and two touchdowns.
His best season to date came in 2017 in Los Angeles when he finished with career-best marks of 1,305 rushing yards and 788 receiving yards.
One initial thing Gurley will bring back to Georgia with him and will incorporate into Atlanta’s offense is his ability to hurt opposing defenses both in the passing game and on the ground in the running game. That will provide Ryan and company with another target in the passing attack, while also providing the Falcons with a dominant rusher out of the backfield.
Takins a shot on Gurley will end up being worth it for Atlanta and it ultimately hopes its newest running back will literally hit the ground running when the new season officially kicks off.