What It Means:

"This is going to blow your mind. ... I think the most important thing in this league, as far as a running back is concerned, is his ability to pass protect," said Peete, an 18-year running backs coach. "They think it’s easy. They’ve all come into the league comfortable as a runner." Gurley was frequently replaced by Benny Cunningham on passing downs last season, making it easy for defenses to stack the box when they anticipated a run. Cunningham is now a free agent, setting up Gurley for a much larger role in the passing-game. If he betters his blocking, then it would eventually open up more holes when the Rams do choose to hand Gurley the rock. He averaged just 3.2 yards per carry in 2016, a sharp fall from his rookie season when he ran for 4.8 yards a tote.

Gurley had the sixth-lowest Rushing Net Expected Points per attempt among the 42 running backs with at least 100 carries last season.