The Los Angeles Chargers’ offense will look quite different next season.
Keenan Allen is no longer in town, and neither is Austin Ekeler.
For years, Ekeler had been one of the most productive and underrated running backs in the game.
Now, he’ll be replaced by another solid running back in Gus Edwards, who went from playing for John Harbaugh to playing for his brother Jim.
Moreover, it seems like keeping Ekeler wasn’t at the top of the team’s priority list.
As quoted by Alex Insdorf of The Chargers Wire, Ekeler didn’t feel like the team was actually that interested in bringing him back, and he felt like he was just an insurance policy in case they didn’t land the guy they wanted.
“Yeah, they’re interested, but are you really? If all else fails, bring Austin back in type of thing?” Ekeler said.
Commanders RB Austin Ekeler on #Chargers interest in FA: “The Chargers came to me and kinda told me what they were looking at in the RB position and it wasn’t what I can offer as a player. There was a misalignment. Yeah, they’re interested, but are you really? If all else fails,… pic.twitter.com/asxQ3WbkTQ
— Alex Insdorf (@alexinsdorf99) March 23, 2024
He added that he didn’t want to be in that kind of situation, so he felt like he had to look for another opportunity somewhere else.
The talented running back will now be Kliff Kingsbury’s workhorse with the new-look Washington Commanders.
And while Kingsbury’s offenses have always relied on the passing game, he could be in for a big workload, considering the Commanders are most likely going to roll with a rookie quarterback next season.
Ekeler has shown a consistent ability to be a factor both on the ground and in the passing game, so it’s odd to see that the Chargers weren’t that high on his dynamic skill set.
Now, he’ll get a chance to prove his worth in the nation’s capital.
NEXT:
Chargers Have Signed A New Defensive Back