McVay: Todd Gurley não está se sentindo bem

No running back has carried a greater load over the past four seasons thanTodd Gurley. But his lack of touches in theRams‘ final two games from last season have led to an entire offseason of questions about what his role will be in 2019.

With that finally upon us,Ramscoach Sean McVay was asked once more for old time’s sake if Gurley would be on a pitch count in Sunday’s season opener against thePanthers.

“Nope,” McVay said,per ESPN. “… I’m excited to seeTodd Gurleycontinue to do his thing. He looks good, he’s feeling good and we’re looking forward to Sunday.”

How he performs and how much he actually plays will be closely monitored. Gurley was in contention for league MVP honors in each of the past two seasons, with his playing time and effectiveness fading in the latter. Gurley sat out Los Angeles’ last two regular season games before breaking out for 115 rushing yards in the NFC Divisional Round against theCowboys. That performance is often forgotten in the midst of his 45 combined rushing yards over the following two rounds against theSaintsandPatriots.

Gurley’s personal trainer stated in the offseason that the All-Pro back wasdealing with arthritic issuesstemming from an ACL tear in college. Neither Gurley nor theRamshave ever confirmed that report.

His usage was markedly different leading up to this season, beyond sitting out preseason games with the rest of Los Angeles’ first-team offense. He reportedly practiced only every other day and shared many of the carries he’d typically claim withMalcolm BrownandDarrell Henderson, who theRamsdrafted in the third round in April.

Sunday we’ll better find out what to make of that selection and what to expect from Gurley moving forward. He told reporters Thursday his knee was fine and, as he has been wont to do amid all the questions this offseason, downplayed any desire to prove he’s actually healthy.

“I’m not eager,” Gurley said. “It’s football, bro. Been playing it my whole life. It’s just another season.”