The St. Louis Rams were squarely focused on the reward running back Todd Gurley could provide when they selected him with the tenth overall pick in this year's draft and decided to ignore the potential risk.
Coming off a torn ACL, Gurley is not expected to take the field this preseason and may not even be 100 percent healthy by the time the regular season begins. A top ten pick for a player unlikely to contribute in the near future seems to be a steep price to pay, but the Rams are happy to wait it out, knowing full well what Gurley is capable of when healthy.
"We are going to take our time," head coach Jeff Fisher told Andrew Siciliano of NFL Network. I don't have to see him in a preseason game to play him in a regular season game. It's unlikely that you'll see him in a preseason game, because he's got some work to do."
St. Louis surprised a lot of folks when they selected Gurley in the draft. Rookie Tre Mason came on strong last year and finished 2014 with 913 total yards and five scores. Benny Cunningham is a solid pass-catcher and Zac Stacy was still just one year removed from an impressive rookie season (and was later traded to the New York Jets). But Gurley drew favorable comparisons to Marshawn Lynch before the draft and has the ability to be the game's next elite rusher.
So in the meantime, Fisher is happy to work with the plethora of talented backfield options currently at his disposal.
"Our intention is to have a rotation," Fisher said. "Even if Todd is 100 percent, I still want to have the rotation with Tre, because Tre is special. I think that one-two combination is going to be great."
Considering that Fisher has not enjoyed a winning season in his three years as Rams head coach, he better hope that rushing tandem is as great as he claims. With Nick Foles swapped in for Sam Bradford under center, a new weapon at running back and a fierce defensive front seven, it's now or never for Fisher and the Rams. Another losing season may mean a new coach for Gurley in 2016.
