MIAMI GARDENS, Fla. -- During red-zone drills in a joint practice with the Dolphins, Austin Ekeler got an inside handoff from Jayden Daniels, cut past his left guard who helped pave a lane, and found himself in the end zone seconds later. That was one of two good runs Ekeler had in practice on top of a catch in traffic.
He had quickness, he had burst, he moved fluidly. He did not look anything like the guy who suffered a high-ankle sprain early in 2023, then sprained his other ankle after and tried playing through it.
"The NFL can get ugly if you're having a down year," Ekeler told CBS Sports when asked if 2023 was especially tough. "You've got the pressure from not only yourself but your teammates, your ownership, the fans, there's a lot of pressure for us to perform well, especially when you had expectations like we did. When we came out and didn't live up to those expectations it definitely takes a toll on you mentally as a human because you feel the weight of that pressure.
"The beauty of sports is that you get another opportunity the next year."
This makes year number eight for Ekeler, who finds himself in a familiar situation: working in tandem with a bigger running back. The last time Ekeler was in this spot was 2019.
"Shoot, I remember I had almost 1,000 yards receiving, 500 yards rushing that year, 11 touchdowns," Ekeler said, accurately, about what wound up being his breakout season.
He went on to be the Chargers' feature back for the next four years, averaging at least 17 touches per until last year when he had just 16.4.
In that 2019 season Ekeler had 14 touches per game on the dot, though that number shrunk to 11.9 in games with Gordon. But he also had something else he especially relished: His health.
"One thing that really stood out to me in those years was how I felt after games," he said. "When you take the majority of the reps it takes a toll on your body. I'm looking forward to getting out here and sharing that load and making sure I play at a high level each week."
That sharing will be done with Brian Robinson, a third-year power back (Ekeler said he weighed 230 pounds but he appears slimmed down from last season). Whereas Ekeler relies on his quickness and versatility, Robinson has earned his rep by being a strong runner. He showed that a number of times during the practice with the Dolphins, too.
"We have a different type of style, which I love. We can continue to play at a high level but also give the defense a different type of look like I was doing with Melvin Gordon a few years ago," Ekeler said. "I'm really looking forward to us being that tandem, going out there making plays in our own ways and continuing to keep this team at a high level."
Ekeler's role isn't the only similarity -- Washington hired Anthony Lynn to be their running backs coach. That's who coached Ekeler in 2019 and helped model the tandem that figures to exist in Washington now.
But it comes with one major difference: Both Ekeler and Robinson will both share that backfield with a mobile quarterback in Daniels, the rookie who ran for 1,134 yards and 10 touchdowns at LSU last season. Daniels will help their respective rushing efficiencies as most dual-threat quarterbacks do, but he'll also limit their touches.
And it'll take more of an effort from Daniels to utilize Ekeler in the passing game to the ultra-high level he experienced in 2019. Only once in Daniels' five college seasons did running backs corral more than 15% of his targets (Rachaad White in 2021 helped push the rate close to 20%). And for what it's worth, Ekeler saw one of 17 targets Daniels threw in team drills, a byproduct of Daniels looking downfield and Ekeler splitting reps with both Robinson and Jeremy McNichols.
Because the Commanders have a plan to work multiple backs while breaking in a rookie quarterback with a penchant for running, we can probably assume Ekeler won't often have more than the 6.3 carries and 6.9 targets, and 5.6 catches, per game he had in 2019 as long as Robinson is healthy. At 11 touches per game, Ekeler could still contribute in PPR leagues as a No. 3 back. That's not what we've come to know from Ekeler, but it still keeps him in the game.
Recent average draft position (ADP) information suggests Ekeler as a Round 8 pick (about 90th overall) in both PPR and non-PPR formats. That's the same range as Jaylen Warren, Jonathon Brooks, Javonte Williams, and Devin Singletary. Williams is the only one of the group who should absolutely get taken ahead of Ekeler -- the rest have limitations of their own, though Warren and Brooks have league-winning upside if pressed into a larger role later in the year. But you could say the same about Ekeler if he were to find himself without his running mate.
While you might not reach for Ekeler, there is someone who will: Ekeler himself. A devoted Fantasy Football manager who plays in a charity league to raise money for the Austin Ekeler Foundation, Ekeler said he intends to take himself with his first-round pick.
"Is that even a question?!" he said rhetorically. "Of course!"
