Playing in the NFL puts a ton of wear and tear on the players’ bodies.
That is why the shelf life for an NFL player is not very long.
Especially if you play running back.
Constantly getting hit play after play, leads to their bodies breaking down while they are still young.
Most NFL teams are wary to draft running backs high, and many teams do not want to pay them high salaries.
One running back who fell off a massive cliff was former Los Angeles Ram Todd Gurley.
In six NFL seasons, Gurley was named All-Pro twice and won Offensive Player of the Year.
He was the best running back in the NFL for the 2017 and 2018 seasons.
But his decline was a lot quicker than we have seen from some running backs before.
Dov Kleiman even mentioned how Gurley hasn’t played since 2020.
Still hard to believe Todd Gurley hasn’t played an NFL game since his age-26 season in 2020.
2-Time All-Pro
3-Time Pro Bowler
Offensive Player of the Year
Offensive Rookie of the Year
8,336 total career yards with 79 TDsThen, 6-years later, retired. pic.twitter.com/XMND6BPP3d
— Dov Kleiman (@NFL_DovKleiman) April 16, 2023
He is officially retired from the NFL, but people who remember watching him know how great he was.
Love TG!!! straight dawggg
—Jarvis Juice Landry (@God_Son80) April 16, 2023
I miss him so much man, last MVP caliber RB we had tbh
—BigE (@BigE_Houston) April 16, 2023
He was a large part of many successful Rams seasons.
Their fans miss having a running back as great as him.
one of the best RBs of our generation
— nickyb518 (@nickyb_518) April 16, 2023
Finding a running back that can hold up until their 30s is rare.
Gurley’s knees were a major part of his downfall.
He had knee surgery in college, and knee issues followed him to the NFL.
You could tell in his final few seasons that he lost some explosiveness because of it.
knee man
—Peacemaker (@INDOE_RO) April 16, 2023
Players like Gurley are why many teams struggle with paying running backs.
Also due to the NFL being more of a passing league, the position is no longer as important as it once was.
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