St. Louis Rams' running back Todd Gurley isn't going to play for the Rams this weekend against their NFC West rival the Seattle Seahawks and is reportedly going to miss the first three weeks of the season, according to NFL reporter Ian Rapoport.
Gurley is coming back from a torn ACL that he suffered while playing at the University of Georgia.
"Yeah, he's doing everything right now, doing fine," said head coach Jeff Fisher, via Joe Lyons of the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. Fisher said that Gurley will not play on Sunday when the Rams open their season at home.
Gurley has been cleared for practice and is close to returning to game shape.
"I can do everything (on the practice field). The beanie is off, so I'm good," said Gurley, via the St. Louis Post-Dispatch. "I would definitely want to be playing but like I said I knew it was going to be a long journey. You've got to be patient, but when the time comes, it comes. I'll be ready for it."
Fisher said Gurley will pad up Wednesday, and that he will get a lot of reps in practice, according to NFL.com. Fisher and the Rams want to see how Gurley recovers after getting back to football drills with pads on.
Gurley likely won't make his debut for the Rams until week 4 at Arizona, according to NFL.com. The 10th pick in the 2015 draft was a force in college before his injury. In just six games in his junior season, Gurley rushed for 911 yards and scored nine touchdowns.
Luckily for Fisher and the Rams, they have a solid second back in Tre Mason. Mason was a third round pick by St. Louis last season, and he had a solid rookie year in the league. Mason rushed for 765 yards and scored four touchdowns. Mason will have a big role, while Gurley is still recovering, but he is still likely to have an impact all season.
Rams fans will likely have to wait three games before they see their new running back, but the Rams seem to be playing it safe and that might be very smart as Gurley looks to be a staple for years to come.
