Austin Ekeler discusses RB market, QB Jayden Daniels, 2024 Commanders

Austin Ekeler has been among the best working backs within the NFL in current reminiscence and is now embarking on the following chapter of his profession with the Washington Commanders after spending the previous six years with the Los Angeles Chargers.

That mentioned, it wasn’t a clean path to the NFL for Ekeler.

Ekeler was a no-star highschool recruit and went on to play school ball for Division-II Western Colorado. He cracked the Chargers’ roster in 2017 as an undrafted free agent, enjoying on particular groups but in addition serving as a backup working again. Within the ensuing years — and largely assisted by veteran RB Melvin Gordon holding out for a brand new contract in 2019 — Ekeler started to get extra reps, which finally led to him changing into the Chargers’ lead again.

Ekeler has been a multifaceted menace ever since, each bursting up the center on the bottom and being an important member of the Chargers’ passing recreation. He has rushed for 4,355 yards and 39 touchdowns on 990 carries, whereas reeling in 440 receptions for 3,884 yards and 30 touchdowns in 103 profession video games (68 begins).

Washington, Ekeler’s new staff, is coming off a 4-13 season that left the Commanders in final place within the NFC East for a second consecutive season. Washington hasn’t had a successful document since 2016 or received a playoff recreation since 2005.

Ekeler would not care about Washington’s previous, nonetheless. Slightly, he is centered on turning the web page for the franchise.

“It is an entire new yr,” he advised host Keyshawn Johnson on the most recent version of “All Information No Brakes,” “Proper now, how can I get myself carried out into this staff and likewise assist create the requirements, create the tradition? What does the usual seem like? How do you maintain individuals accountable? To carry individuals accountable, it’s important to have a tangible factor you can truly see, contact, really feel, do. Let’s be sure we set up these, so that is what we’re doing proper now.

“I do not care about what’s occurred up to now. … I wasn’t right here. … Lots of our guys which might be right here weren’t right here. … It is what we’ll do now. Now we have an opportunity to vary the narrative now with what now we have proper right here on this constructing.”

Ekeler is considered one of a number of veteran additions to the Commanders this offseason underneath Dan Quinn, together with linebacker Bobby Wagner, security Jeremy Chinn, heart Tyler Biadasz and defensive ends Dorance Armstrong and Dante Fowler Jr.

On the opposite facet, the franchise will trot out a brand new Week 1 quarterback for the seventh consecutive season in 2024. Kirk Cousins was the final signal-caller in franchise historical past to begin back-to-back Week 1s (2016-17).

The 2024 starter will presumably be rookie Jayden Daniels, who the Commanders chosen with the second general choose on this yr’s draft. Daniels is coming off a Heisman Trophy marketing campaign with LSU that included him throwing for 3,812 yards, 40 touchdowns and 4 interceptions, whereas finishing 72.2% of his passes. He additionally ran for 1,134 yards and 10 scores.

Thus far, Ekeler mentioned he has been extraordinarily impressed with Daniels this offseason.

“Now we have veterans round this younger man,” he mentioned. “We’re placing him (Daniels) ready the place, ‘Hey, you possibly can immerse your self into this place [and] this management function as a lot as you need.’ … Even yesterday coming off the sector, I used to be working a man-beater selection route out of the backfield. We each noticed it type of a distinct approach. He calls me over. … I am like, ‘Sure, that’s precisely what I wish to hear from my quarterback.’

“I would like him to be a pacesetter, which he is been doing, and he is been understanding the offense.”

Ekeler inked only a two-year, $11.4 million take care of the Commanders, conserving with the pattern of working backs getting underwhelming contracts.

Different working backs to lately signal double-digit offers embody the Chicago Bears’ D’Andre Swift (three years, $24 million), the Tennessee Titans’ Tony Pollard (three years, $21.8 million), the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry (two years, $16 million), the New York Giants’ Devin Singletary (three years, $16.5 million) and the Houston Texans’ Joe Mixon (three years, $27 million). Veteran Aaron Jones signed a one-year, $7 million take care of the Minnesota Vikings after coming over in a commerce from the Cincinnati Bengals, whereas Josh Jacobs (four-year, $48 million take care of the Inexperienced Bay Packers) and Saquon Barkley (three-year, $37.8 million take care of the Philadelphia Eagles) cashed in with the very best contracts.

A possible signal of hope for the RB market is the San Francisco 49ers’ signing of Christian McCaffrey to a two-year, $38 million extension earlier this week.

“It is new cash out there,” Ekeler mentioned of McCaffrey’s extension. “There is a bump. We had been at that $16-17 million cap, and now, growth, it has been pushed up just a little bit. That is the primary time in about 5 years it [has] gone up, and the cap [has] gone up considerably since then, in order that’s the place we’re annoyed as working backs.”

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