Commanders news: Dan Quinn, Magic Johnson, Austin Ekeler and stadium funds

Austin Ekeler's decision

Austin Ekeler's arrival in free agency raised a few eyebrows. The running back opted to link up with his former head coach Anthony Lynn on the Washington Commanders after things turned sour with the Los Angeles Chargers. This provides offensive coordinator Kliff Kingsbury with another dynamic dual-threat weapon that excels in red-zone situations.

Ekeler delved deeper into his decision to leave the Chargers in favor of Washington via CBS Sports. He highlighted misalignment in the message being outplayed by Los Angeles' decision-makers. He also chose the Commanders thanks in no small part to how his skill set compliments what Brian Robnson Jr. brings to the table.

"Is it like a, if all else fails, we'll bring Austin back in type of thing, because I don't want to be in that scenario, and if that's your philosophy of what you're telling me and I don't fit that, I've got to go look somewhere else. Which is totally fine, no hard feelings. You want to go a different direction. I was looking for someone who had a solid back that I could really complement and we can really balance things off of each other as far as our production. We're very different types of runners. He's [Brian Robinson Jr.] like 6-1, 220 (pounds) or whatever he is, and I'm not. I'm like little scat-speed. So almost like going back to the me and Melvin Gordon punch. So looking forward to seeing how that dynamic plays out as well."

- Austin Ekeler via CBS Sports

Robinson and Ekeler have the potential to be among the league's most productive tandems if there is a genuine focus on the running game and the offensive line improves. The new arrival should also be highly motivated to silence his doubters after being deemed expendable by the Chargers under head coach Jim Harbaugh.