Todd Gurley struggled in 2016, watching his yards per carry drop from 4.8 as a rookie to 3.2 as a second-year player, but the Los Angeles Rams want him to improve elsewhere.

"It has nothing to do with the running game," running back coach Skip Peete said. "I think the most important thing in this league, as far as a running back is concerned, is his ability to pass protect, whether it's first or second down. Because they think it's easy. They've all come into the league comfortable as a runner. But that aspect of it is a little bit different than you're accustomed to coming out of college. He and I talk about that all the time -- your ability to completely understand the blocking scheme, whether it's run or pass."

The Rams believe Gurley's pass-protection is vital to the success of Jared Goff.