NFC South Report: Falcons OC Koetter unsure of Todd Gurley's health

The Atlanta Falcons may have uncertainty about RB Todd Gurley's health already. The New Orleans Saints' most hated rival may have signed Gurley in haste. OC Dirk Koetter attempted to shed light on Todd Gurley's knee. However, his comments had the Atlanta Falcons media puzzled.

"Mike Conti of 92.9 FM The Game in Atlanta wrote on Twitter about Koetter's comments:

Dirk Koetter in a media conference call said about Todd Gurley today: "The main question, that no one seems to know, is what is his health status?"
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) May 14, 2020

More Koetter on Gurley:

"He had two seasons where he was arguably the best running back in football. When he's at his best, he's got speed, he's got power... we all see what he can do. We just gotta see how healthy he is, and how consistently he can do it."
— Mike Conti (@MikeConti929) May 14, 2020

Atlanta signed RB Todd Gurley to a 1-yr, $5.5M contract, fully guaranteed. According to Spotrac, Gurley will earn a "base salary of $3,500,000 and a signing bonus of $2,000,000, while carrying a cap hit of $5,500,000 and a dead cap value of $5,500,000." Gurley arrives in Atlanta after they cut former 2x Pro Bowler RB Devonta Freeman this offseason. The Los Angeles Rams released Todd Gurley, and the Falcons immediately signed the Georgia alum to a 1-yr deal. There were two reasons for his release, a nagging knee problem and the $11.75 million of dead-money cap charges for two-seasons the Rams would have incurred.

The New Orleans Saints have controlled the NFC South the past three seasons. Atlanta's rushing attack has not been stable since the injuries to RB Devonta Freeman and RB Ito Smith the past few seasons. By signing Gurley, the Falcons were hoping he could solidify the position for the team. In the past five seasons in Los Angeles, Gurley has played the Saints five times. In those meetings, Gurley rushed the football for 256 yards and 3 TD for an average of 53 yards per contest. New Orleans allowed only 10 rushing yards and a TD to Gurley in their 2019 NFC Championship loss to the Rams.

The Falcons are going to need help if OC Koetter is expressing concern about Gurley and his knee. If the NFL shortens the 2020 regular season, Gurley may be useful, but a prolonged season could be problematic for their star running back.

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