The Washington Commanders struggled greatly on offense this past season, finishing near the bottom of the league in the majority of important offensive categories. On Monday, they added a big-name player to the fold to hopefully add a spark to the team.
Free agent running back Austin Ekeler has been one of the best all-purpose players at this position for quite some time, playing a big role on some great offenses over the past seven years for the Los Angeles Chargers.
Despite this, the Chargers have been apprehensive over the past few seasons to reach a long-term extension for the 28-year-old running back.
This has led to Ekeler looking elsewhere in free agency. According to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero, Ekeler has agreed to a two-year deal worth up to $11.43 million with the Washington Commanders.
It’s a move that makes sense for the Commanders on paper, as the team lost Antonio Gibson in free agency on Monday to the New England Patriots, who is a great pass catcher out of the backfield in his own right.
Naturally, fans had plenty to say about the move on social media.
It’s a big signing in terms of name-value alone for the Commanders. But there are some very real concerns with Ekeler based on his performance last season in comparison to the rest of his career.
Ekeler is coming off a career-worst season in Los Angeles where he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry. A big reason for this is that he very clearly appeared to have lost a step, which is evident when you watched him run at times last year.
It’s possible that the Commanders could be getting the old Austin Ekeler back if he is healthy heading into the 2024-25 season, a player who was a true game-changer for the Chargers offense early on in his tenure with the team.
However, it also appears to be possible that the Commanders could be getting a player who is starting to regress.
Only time will tell which player he will be moving forward. But regardless, he should be a good compliment to Robinson Jr. next year.
About Reice Shipley
Reice Shipley is a staff writer for Comeback Media that graduated from Ithaca College with a degree in Sports Media. He previously worked at Barrett Sports Media and is a fan of all things Syracuse sports.