The road Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler has had to take to get to this point in his football career—a starter at the NFL level—has been a long one. But understanding that journey can help us correctly predict what to expect from Ekeler in 2020, his first as a primary back.
In a story detailed by Greg Bishop of Sports Illustrated, hailing from Eaton, Colorado, Ekeler didn’t receive any Division I offers out of high school. In fact, even the Division II schools around his hometown, about 70 miles from Denver, overlooked how good he could be. So he took a chance on the place that took a chance on him: Western State Colorado University, a school he had never even heard of before they showed interest in him.
As just a freshman at WSC, Ekeler led the team in rushing with 1,049 yards in just nine games as a starter. As a sophomore, he followed that up by setting school records with 1,676 rushing yards, 2,093 total all-purpose yards. And if that wasn’t enough, as a junior, he led Division II in all-purpose yards per game with 203.9. At the end of his four years, Ekeler amassed nearly 6,000 yards with 63 touchdowns.
But despite the success, there was no NFL Scouting Combine invite for Ekeler.
As one might expect, NFL scouts aren’t lining up to attend Western State Colorado University’s pro day. Ekeler was told he could come to the University of Colorado’s pro day, but could only workout on the field after all the Colorado players were done. This meant many of the scouts would leave, too. But Ekeler took the chance. The results were a 4.43 40-yard dash and a 40.5-inch vert.
That put him higher on the NFL’s radar, but not high enough on draft boards, as Ekeler watched 27 running back names flash across the screen on draft weekend, none of which were his.
Ekeler signed an undrafted free agent contract with the Chargers in 2017. Ekeler was cemented on the depth chart behind young franchise back Melvin Gordon, who was coming off a season where he was just three yards short of 1,000 yards and recorded 10 rushing touchdowns. Gordon went on to top that 1,000-yard mark in that 2017 season, but the back who got the most carries after him: the undrafted Ekeler.
During that season, Ekeler was able to get on the field during passing situations. Though Gordon was plenty capable of catching passes out of the backfield himself, Ekeler, as an all-purpose beast in college, knew how to do it all. When it came to the “next man in” when Gordon wasn’t on the field, it was Ekeler’s name that was finally called.
Ekeler finished that first season with 270 rushing yards on 47 carries with 279 receiving yards on 27 catches (35 targets). The following year, Ekeler had an even bigger role. Gordon once again started the season, but an MCL injury in Week 12 forced him to miss time. This allowed Ekeler to get more looks, which helped result in 554 rushing yards on 106 carries with 404 receiving yards on 39 catches (53 targets).
Gordon held out to begin the 2019 season, missing the first four games. During those games, Ekeler became the do-it-all back for the Chargers. He played in more than 70 percent of the offensive snaps for Los Angeles and never played fewer than 47 snaps in a single game in that stretch.
When Gordon returned, Ekeler’s numbers went down, at least until the end of the season when the team began to lean on their undrafted free agent more than their potential second-contract running back. That all came to a crowning moment when Ekeler recorded both 100 yards rushing and 100 yards receiving in Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars, joining Lionel James as the only other back in Chargers history to achieve such a feat.
From then on, everyone was a believer in the story, the talent, and the outlook of Austin Ekeler.
Ekeler finished the season with 557 rushing yards and was just seven yards short of a 1,000-yard season in the passing game with 993 receiving yards. He also added 11 total touchdowns, three rushing and eight receiving. In total, the seasonal numbers came out to 225 touches for 1,550 yards in 2019.
As a receiver, Ekeler was fantastic. The only back in the NFL who recorded more yards in the passing game than Ekeler was Carolina Panthers running back Christian McCaffrey. McCaffrey ended the season with 1,005 receiving yards, which was 12 more than Ekeler, but McCaffrey did so with 1,039 offensive snaps compared to Ekeler’s 599. That is insane production.
Beyond the stats, Pro Football Focus recognized Ekeler as one of the most dynamic backs in the league with a tough skill set to stop.
“Besides being one of the most dynamic receivers at the position, Ekeler has also been one of the toughest running backs in the league to bring down,” says author Ben Linsey. “Since joining the Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017, Ekeler has forced a missed tackle on 22% of his touches (slotting in at fourth just behind Cook), and he’s been much better after contact than you would expect from a player listed at 5-foot-10 and 200 pounds. As he proved last season, there shouldn’t be hesitation with his ability to handle a heavy workload.”
It was that kind of thinking that swayed the minds of the Chargers’ decision-makers enough to not re-sign Gordon and instead put that money toward Ekeler in the form of a 4-year, $24.5 million contract.
Ekeler enters 2020 as the Chargers’ top back; not the Chargers’ top change-of-pace back, not the Chargers’ top receiving back, not the Chargers’ top situational back. The top back, in both rushing and receiving. But knowing his background, how he was used in college, and how he’s had to work to get to this spot, no task is too tough for him.
As of right now, Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley are the only two backs in the room who would have a legit shot to take away from Ekeler’s touches. If you ask me, neither is a real threat.
As one of the top producing backs in football last season, especially on the receiving end, expect Ekeler to get even more touches in the run game and just as much attention in the passing game as the Chargers lean on him more than ever in 2020.
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