Falcons' Todd Gurley: Grip on lead role officially slips

Interim coach Raheem Morris said Monday that Gurley's role has changed and Ito Smith has usurped him as the Falcons' lead runner, Kelsey Conway of the Falcons' official site reports.

Gurley only had three touches during Sunday's loss to Tampa Bay, and he's been outpaced by Smith in terms of carries, 25-15, since Week 13, so even without Morris' admission it was clear that Gurley has fallen out of favor in Atlanta's offense. The three-time Pro Bowler is averaging just 3.5 yards per carry through 13 games, putting him on pace to log a second straight season below the 4.0 mark. Meanwhile, Smith is up to 4.3 YPC on the year, and he's been the definitively better option on the ground in recent weeks. As D. Orlando Ledbetter of The Atlanta Journal-Constitution reports, Morris named Smith's performance as the reason for the role swap, rather than any sort of injury on Gurley's part.