Atlanta Falcons quarterback Matt Ryan said he has accomplished fieldwork with Todd Gurley “a handful of times” and is “really impressed” with his new running back.
Ryan, at present in Atlanta, invested time with Gurley in Southern California as of late.
“I’ve gotten to work with Todd and he’s awesome,” Ryan told ESPN. “Good guy. A hard worker. He’s super-smart. The stuff I was telling him one day, the next day he had it done. I was impressed with his ability to retain information. You don’t have to tell him twice. He’s on it.”
Ryan said the exercises happened at Golden West College in Huntington Beach, which is the place Ryan tossed to previous tight end Austin Hooper in past offseasons. Gurley has been in the Los Angeles territory since being discharged by the Los Angeles Rams and signing a one-year, $5.5 million agreement with the Falcons that is as yet pending a physical.
Gurley has had issues with his precisely repaired left knee, yet he communicated no worry about passing a physical. NFL administers as of now forestall Gurley from having his physical led at the group’s facility during the coronavirus pandemic, however, the league said Gurley is permitted to take it at the club doctor’s office once he shows up in Atlanta.
Falcons’ offensive organizer Dirk Koetter said the Falcons have no uncertainty about Gurley’s ability, saying “we just have to see how healthy he is and how consistently he can do it.”
The Falcons signed Gurley, the 2017 NFL Offensive Player of the Year, with trusts he would have a resurgent season and lift a running match-up that positioned 30th in the league last season (85.1 rushing yards per game). The group cut ties with double cross Pro Bowl running back Devonta Freeman, who stays a free agent.
“I think he’s going to be an awesome fit for us,” Ryan said of Gurley. “And I’m glad we have him.”
Ryan’s offseason exercises, led both in the Atlanta zone and in Southern California, have additionally included collectors Julio Jones, Calvin Ridley, and Russell Gage, tight finishes Hayden Hurst and Jaeden Graham, and fullback Keith Smith. Running back Ito Smith, at present training in Houston, disclosed to ESPN he intends to join Ryan in the exercises too.
Jones, who has posted six consecutive seasons with more than 1,300 yards receiving, commonly invests offseason time training in California.
“He always looks great,” Ryan said of recent workouts with Jones. “He was working hard. It was good to spend some time together.”
The NFL has not decided when players will be permitted back at the office because of the pandemic, even though Falcons mentor Dan Quinn came back to work Friday. The associate mentors bring Monday back. The Falcons have depended on virtual meetings since the pandemic shut down tasks, including sorted out group exercises and minicamps.
“I’m ready to go back whenever,” Ryan said. “That’s been my mindset through this whole thing: to make this as normal of an offseason in terms of my training, my throwing, getting myself ready to go. Whenever they let us know, I’ll be ready to go. But I’m not informed enough to know or have a gut feeling for when that’s going to happen.”
The Falcons are booked to open the standard season at home against the Seattle Seahawks on Sept. 13.