Hall of Fame running back Eric Dickerson has had plenty of influence over the Rams in the past. He’s currently looking to exercise a little more influence now.
Dickerson wants the Rams to re-sign running back Todd Gurley, given the season-ending injury suffered by Cam Akers.
“That’s a no-brainer,” Dickerson told TMZ.com regarding the possibility of bringing back Gurley. “I mean, he knows the offense, he knows this offense. He doesn’t have to come in and try and learn it. . . . He knows [Sean] McVay, he knows the guys on the team — that would be an easy fit.”
The fit may be easy from a football standpoint. It could be a little more difficult from a personality standpoint. Gurley complained on multiple occasions last year that the Rams failed to pay money that the team owed him after he abruptly was released. And the Rams moved on from Gurley for a reason; his chronic knee problem made him a shell of who he was when he won the Offensive Player of the Year award in 2017.
Dickerson nevertheless believes a reunion should occur.
“At the end of the day, football, this is business,” Dickerson said. “That’s what it comes down to. You got to make business decisions. . . . You got to make decisions that are good for the football team, and the player has to make decisions that’s best for him.”
In late 2016, Dickerson began calling for Jeff Fisher to be fired by the Rams. Eventually, he was. Whether Dickerson actually had influence over the decision doesn’t matter; it was perceived that he did. And while the Rams don’t need to sign Gurley simply because Dickerson says they should, McVay should at least consider giving Dickerson a call and explaining the reasons for doing something other than bringing back Gurley.