Austin Ekeler wasn't expected back with the Washington Commanders when his contract expired, but things change quickly in the NFL. And this could be a low-risk, high-reward pickup for the franchise at an important time.
Ekeler worked exceptionally hard to return from a torn Achilles tendon suffered last season against the Green Bay Packers. It was incredibly disappointing, especially given he was the lead back at the time.
Now, he's come full circle, and going straight onto the 53-man roster speaks volumes.
Signing Austin Ekeler brings stability and familiarity for the Commanders
The Commanders have struggled to get anything going on the ground so far. Much of that stems from instability along the offensive line, but something is missing.
They rank No. 8 in the league at 132.0 rushing yards per game. However, most of that came from quarterback Jayden Daniels before his unfortunate dislocated elbow.
With free-agent signing Rachaad White dealing with an injury issue, the Commanders decided they needed a contingency plan. Jeremy McNichols is on the shelf and sixth-round rookie Kaytron Allen is being used sparingly, so it makes a ton of sense to bring Ekeler back into the fold.
And for Ekeler, it's the route back into the league he was looking for.
Taking advantage of it is crucial.
Ekeler got the all-clear to resume football activities this summer. He recently worked out for the Carolina Panthers, but despite things reportedly going well, they didn't sign him. The Commanders took advantage, adding another experienced dual-threat asset for offensive coordinator David Blough to utilize.
But head coach Dan Quinn sees even more benefits to Ekeler's return.
Commanders plan to count on Austin Ekeler's leadership and on-field prowess
When discussing Ekeler, Quinn quickly pointed out how respected he is in the locker room. There is a new scheme to learn, of course, but the familiarity factor could see the Western Colorado product involved as soon as this weekend during Washington's international game against the Indianapolis Colts.
"It's cool to have Austin (Ekeler) here. He's a great teammate and really one respected teammate here. It was definitely good to have him back into today. But we'll get him into practice [in England] and we'll kind of see where it gets into on Thursday and Friday as we get towards the end of the week."
Ekeler might be a little older and coming off a major injury, but he's still useful. He knows how to gain yards on the ground. He can run routes and become a security blanket in the passing game, and he is an underrated pass blocker.
That is precisely what the Commanders are looking for.
And given how much time Ekeler has put into his recovery and overall conditioning, he'll be relishing the prospect of taking the field again.
The Commanders know what Ekeler can do. General manager Adam Peters moved away from signing aging veterans this offseason, but at this stage of the campaign, reliability and trust are important with any new acquisition. And even though Blough's scheme is new, the player worked with the coach last season.
Ekeler is dependable. He's a leader. He's a model professional who wants to win.
That fits well into what the Commanders are trying to accomplish this season.
Hopefully, Ekeler can stay healthy and pick up where he left off early last season. If he can, then the Commanders' ground attack is going to get a significant boost.
Austin Ekeler signing grade: B+
Add us as a preferred source on Google