New Commanders RB Austin Ekeler says there was a 'misalignment' with Chargers
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler.
Running back Austin Ekeler was a focal point of the Chargers offense for the past seven years, but he found himself as the odd man out with a new regime, led by head coach Jim Harbaugh, taking over.
Ekeler may have envisioned ending his career in Los Angeles where he began as an undrafted rookie in 2017, but that is not how things have played out. He became a free agent after the 2023 season and signed a two-year contract with the Commanders in March.
The 29-year-old hinted he saw it coming, however.
"I think you can kind of see how they've been building the team so far this offseason," Ekeler said on the "Up & Adams Show." "Went out and drafted a tackle first round, brought in some bigger backs over from Baltimore. So it's like, hey, they want a guy they can hand the ball off to 300 times a year."
Ekeler has never carried the ball 300 times in his seven-year NFL career. The most he's ever had in a season was 206, which came in 2021.
That's why Ekeler understands he simply wasn't a good fit for the Chargers anymore.
"Look, I haven't had that capacity to do that. That's not my game. That's not how Austin Ekeler's gonna be the best on the field," Ekeler added. "So there was the misalignment there, which, no harm, no foul, I'm going to go find somewhere else where Austin can be the best version of myself out there."
Ekeler has the chance to continue playing his style of football in Washington.
Running back Brian Robinson Jr. should complement Ekeler well in the backfield as both players have different skill sets.
Ekeler will likely be used in the passing game, which he has been throughout his career, amassing 440 catches for 3,884 yards and 30 touchdowns.
As for the Chargers, they're going to have a run-first mentality under Harbaugh and new running backs Gus Edwards and J.K. Dobbins.
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