Commanders news: Sam Howell, Chase Young, Austin Ekeler and mock draft

Austin Ekeler's ambition

Austin Ekeler is an eye-catching addition to the Washington Commanders' running back room. The veteran dual-threat is coming off a down year by his typically high standards, but linking up with Anthony Lynn once again comes with optimism attached as part of a committee approach within Kliff Kingsbury's offense.

Ekeler is expected to form a productive tandem with Brian Robinson Jr. Chris Rodriguez Jr. could also see involvement after flashing as a rookie, so the chances of keeping the team's free-agent signing fresh are high.

The former undrafted free agent has high hopes for himself and the Commanders next season based on comments via CBS Sports. Ekeler believes the organization is building something special and he's going to give it everything to assist.

"It's what has given me energy for as long as I've been in the league. I 100% represent the underdogs out there. I'll continue to be that representation. I'm going to score some touchdowns for you, that's for sure. I'm going to bring some energy. There's so much that goes into the ecosystem of sports, and you're always trying to be the most competitive that you can possibly be and trying to sustain that for as long as you can, but unfortunately, as we even experienced last year with the Chargers, going through some down years. So you try to bring in a new chemistry, new players to try to turn it around, and that's exactly what we have going on here. So I'm excited to do it."

- Austin Ekeler via CBS Sports

Providing the Commanders don't overload Ekeler - which seems unlikely given the presence of Robinson - it's hard to envisage a scenario where he doesn't help considerably. Expect to see him a lot in obvious passing situations. This has the scope to help Washington's young quarterback significantly during their important transition from college to the pros.