Austin Ekeler is having a quietly dominant career as a running back for the LA Chargers. I remember being impressed by Ekeler way back in 2017. As much as I was impressed I also did not expect him to last as long as he has in the league. He seemed like another nice, small third down running back with a lot of speed. I had seen his type of back before and I just assumed he would float around as a backup or be out of the league relatively soon.
But I was dead wrong about Ekeler. Since 2017 Ekeler has steadily improved and his role on the Chargers has steadily increased. Now entering 2023 I personally see him as a top five running back.
The name of the game for running backs in today's era seems to be versatility, and there might not be a more versatile back in the NFL than Austin Ekeler. He's actually never reached 1,000 yards rushing because Ekeler is basically half a running back, and half a receiver.
Ekeler has 7,175 yards from scrimmage in his career. 52% of those yards are rushing yards, and 48% are receiving!
Similarly, Ekeler has 63 total touchdowns in his career and 54% are rushing and 46% are receiving.
What a weapon.
Ekeler is simply having a unique and dominant career. He's had 38 total touchdowns and nearly 3,200 yards from scrimmage in the past two years alone. I expect him to continue to produce at a high level.
