Rams have Gurley on specialized offseason plan

THOUSAND OAKS, Calif. — The Los Angeles Rams have a specific, individualized offseason plan for Todd Gurley. For now, it doesn’t include their star running back participating in team drills at organized team activities.

“That was what we felt like was best for Todd when Todd and I sat down,” Rams coach Sean McVay said Tuesday. “And it’s been really good so far and we feel good about that.”

The Rams held their fourth workout of OTAs on Tuesday. Gurley was not present for any portion of the session, which was open to reporters, and he also was absent from last Monday’s open session.

However, McVay said Tuesday that Gurley has been working with outside trainer Travelle Gaines and that he has maintained a regular presence at the practice facility.

“He’s also been here consistently, pretty much every single day of the week,” McVay said. “He’s been an active participant following the program that we’ve implemented with him and we’re very pleased with where Todd is at right now.”

Nevertheless, Gurley’s new program, a departure from his past offseason regimen, adds to the speculation about the long-term health of his left knee, which was surgically repaired in 2014, and kept him sidelined during Week 16 and 17 last season.

In the playoffs, Gurley played a pivotal role in a divisional-round win over the Dallas Cowboys, as he rushed for 115 yards and a touchdown, but he appeared a shadow of his former self in the NFC Championship game and Super Bowl LIII.

When Gurley reported to the offseason voluntary workout program last month, he said that his knee was “feeling pretty good” and that he was “taking it day by day.” But he did not provide any specific details regarding the extent of his knee issue, and avoided the question when asked if he could confirm reports of arthritis or a degenerative condition.

McVay said Tuesday that Gurley’s offseason program accounts for the length of the Rams’ season, as they advanced to the Super Bowl for the first time since 2001, and is structured to have Gurley ready for the start of training camp and Week 1 against the Carolina Panthers.