Stacy rushed for 973 yards and seven touchdowns on 250 carries in his rookie season in 2013, but he managed just 293 yards and one touchdown on 76 carries last season while making just five starts. Mark J. Rebilas-USA TODAY Sports
St. Louis Rams running back Zac Stacy wants to be traded after the team’s selection of Todd Gurley with the No. 10 pick in the NFL Draft.
NFL Media Insider Ian Rapoport reported Friday that Stacy has requested to be traded and the Rams are shopping him to other teams.
Stacy, a fifth-round pick in 2013, offered only a one-word response via Twitter on Thursday night: “Yikes.”
Stacy rushed for 973 yards and seven touchdowns on 250 carries in his rookie season in 2013, but he managed just 293 yards and one touchdown on 76 carries last season while making just five starts.
Gurley becomes the seventh running back on the Rams’ roster and marks the fourth consecutive year the Rams have selected a runner in the draft: Isaiah Pead in the second round in 2012, Stacy in 2013 and Tre Mason in the third round last year. Mason rushed for 765 yards and four touchdowns in his rookie season.
Gurley had left knee reconstruction surgery in November and is only now beginning to run full speed and make controlled cuts. He said Thursday that returning for training camp was a “realistic goal.” But for head coach Jeff Fisher, who has a history of riding his running backs (Eddie George, Steven Jackson), caution will temper the excitement of getting the player some considered the best playmaker in the draft.
“His body of work speaks for itself,” Fisher said. “It was an opportunity we couldn’t pass up.”
Last season, the 6-foot-1, 226-pound Gurley rushed for 911 yards on 123 attempts (7.4 per rush) and nine touchdowns in just six games. In his Georgia career, he totaled 3,285 yards and 36 touchdowns, averaging 6.4 yards per carry.
Gurley said Thursday his knee feels good and he plans to compete to win that starting job.
“Obviously I want to be the guy, but like I said nothing is going to be given,” Gurley said in his post-draft press conference. “I’m going to go in there, work hard and compete and at the end of the day I’m going to do whatever the team needs me to do.”
