Falcons running back Todd Gurley has had plenty of wear and tear on his body, but the team still plans a big workload for him this season.
Gurley has averaged 20 touches a game for his career, and according to Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter, that’s the range they expect from Gurley this season.
“I think a minimum of 15 touches and a high of [25],” Koetter told ESPN. “But you’ve got to realize we’ve got a lot of guys that need touches. You’re going to have 64 plays in a game on average on offense. Depending on where you’re at in the season and wear and tear, I think the low is 15 and maybe the high end 25. Some of that depends on score and where you’re at in the game. Are you ahead and running it? Are you getting in four-minute, and how are you running the ball that week? There’s a lot of factors in there. But again, the low end 15 and the high end 25.”
Realistically, there’s no way Gurley is going to average 25 touches a game over 16 games. That would be 400 touches for the season, a total Gurley has never approached: In his most productive season, 2017, Gurley had 343 touches.
But 15-20 may be realistic, and Koetter says he has liked everything he’s seen from Gurley in training camp. Gurley’s production declined in 2018 and again in 2019, but the Falcons are hopeful that he can prove he has something left.