No, this isn't click bait.
Should the Rams trade Gurley for a 1st round draft pick or maybe a couple of 2nds?
It's a question, not necessarily something I'm advocating.
Quick: who are the RBs for Philly and NE? Who was the RB for the Pats last year? Any great players in that bunch?
Why might we want to trade him? Because as near as I can tell, a great RB is, in some ways, Fool's Gold in the modern NFL. A RB is not at all what is required to win Superbowls. Rather, a terrific QB, a multi-faceted offense and a very good D is what is required. A group of good backs, with different skill sets, not only gives a team options, but protects against catastrophe if the lead dog RB goes down because there is no lead dog RB. And in the NFL, RB injury is near to inevitable. So to build a team around a RB (like the Rams have, and like the Steelers, Titans, and Cowboys have leaned toward more recently), is staring down the barrel of a loaded gun and praying it doesn't go off. But more; while it seems to help win games to get you into the playoffs, recent history says that the great RB won't determine Championship outcomes. The exception might be if the team is built around a #1 D stocked with All-World players, and then a relatively conservative O where running, eating the clock, and limiting turnovers is the game. So in that situation you want that exceptional, lead dog RB. But THAT is not McVay's concept.
When I hear announcers talk about great teams revolving around the Holy Triad of QB, RB, #1 WR, I think they are lost in time. They always bring up the old Cowboys with Aikman, Smith, and Irvin. But this is a different game today.
So why should the Rams at least consider trading him now? Because they could get the most for him right now. He would be very attractive to a team who wants a great RB. Young, healthy, and not very expensive. This draft is going to have a host of RBs that we could get in the 3rd and 4th rounds that likely will be successful NFL players (happens every year). And we could use those picks to package and move up for a player that does help with Championships (like a great TE).
The thing is this: soon Gurley is going to demand a big contract. And he's been fortunate with injuries. So while he's not a contract burden now, he will be in the near future.
And the Rams need to decide if they are going to be as RB oriented from here on as they were in 2017. I think McVay is young enough and observant enough to notice that great RBs don't lead teams to Superbowl victories; and in some ways give you a false sense of confidence.
Don't get me wrong. I think Gurley was instrumental in Goff's and the offense's development this past year. And perhaps this security blanket needs to stay another year to be just that. And I think he's a terrific guy and marvelous RB. But the Rams would do better with a marvelous TE than a marvelous RB when it comes to the playoffs.
So if the goal is to win championships and not just pile up victories and points along the way, then the team has to be built with that goal in mind. And clearly Championship teams in the modern era are QB and passing game oriented, with a very good D able to disrupt the plans of the other team. Sure you need to be able to run the ball. But running the ball is complementary; not the primary attack. Therefore the RB is also complementary and not the focus. Give me a stable of good RBs that can be utilized in various circumstances and ways. The Big Boy pounder; the scat back who catches as well as he runs; the 3rd down do it all back.
Will the Rams do that this year? Probably not.
