Rams rookie running back Todd Gurley is wasting no time in exceeding expectations at the NFL level.
The draft's 10th overall pick will open training camp on the active roster and participate in practices, according to the team's official website.
Rams general manager Les Snead first noted Gurley's progress Tuesday during a St. Louis radio interview, confirming that the first-rounder would be ready for football activities just eight and a half months after tearing his ACL at Georgia. Gurley was mostly relegated to rehab work during offseason practices before engaging in light walkthroughs near the end of OTAs.
Gurley's status is a genuine surprise after he was widely expected to start camp on the non-football injury (NFI) list. Instead, the draft's top runner is ready to stake his claim to a Rams backfield that also includes promising second-year man Tre Mason.
It's no guarantee that Gurley will start Week 1, but his rapid recovery hints at a Rams ground game that could open the year at full strength in tilts against the Seahawks, Redskins, Steelers and Cardinals. We still need to see Gurley play, but he and Mason have a chance to do something special for a St. Louis offense that hasn't generated much excitement since Kurt Warner left town.
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