The Falcons managed to win a ton of support locally in Georgia this offseason by signing free agent running back Todd Gurley following his release by the Los Angeles Rams this spring.

Of course, there’s a reason Atlanta had the option to bring the former Georgia Bulldog star back home.

Following two All-Pro seasons with the Rams during the 2017 and 2018 seasons, Gurley was a shell of his former self in 2019. While he managed to suit up for 15 games, Gurley’s average yards per carry went down a full yard last year, from 4.9 to 3.8, and he rushed for a career-low 857 total yards. Gurley’s receiving production also drastically decreased in 2019 as the former All-Pro was coming off a tough knee injury.

During a recent interview posted by ESPN’s Vaughn McClure, Falcons offensive coordinator Dirk Koetter noted how eager Gurley was to get back to Georgia and how seamless the transition should be for the running back looking ahead to the 2020 season.

“Todd has had an unbelievable career and is a heck of a player. I think it’s really fortunate for us that he’s coming from a real similar offensive system, terminology-wise,” Koetter said. “The run game is very similar, conceptually, to what they were doing in LA. I know from talking to Todd, he’s fired up to be coming back to Georgia — he can do everything. He’s an excellent runner, he’s good in the pass game, he can protect.”

However, in the same interview, Koetter admitted that no one seems to know how ready Gurley will be once the season arrives and what kind of workload he can handle during the season.

“The main question, that no one seems to know, is what is his health status? What’s his workload? He averaged about 17 touches a game last year, which is a little bit lower than he had been when he was All-Pro,” Koetter added. “We’re just gonna have to find that out once we get here and get him working. Get him up and running.”

That may not be what Falcon fans want to hear but the reality is the team took a gamble signing Gurley this offseason. Based on his previous level of production and the price the team is paying, Gurley signed a one-year, $5.5 million contract with the Falcons, the flyer the team took on the former Bulldog appears to well worth the investment.