Austin Ekeler isn't oblivious to his situation. He knows that at 31 years old, and coming off an Achilles injury, he's not in the prime of his career anymore. He joked that he's now "grandpa" in the Washington Commanders' running back room, with two of the three other players at the position being drafted in the last two offseasons.
But Ekeler believes he still has some juice left, and he wants to use it to help the Commanders offense.
"The opportunity to be on the 53[-man roster] was something I couldn't pass up," Ekeler said following the Commanders' first practice in London this week. "Get right back into the game is what I was looking for."
Ekeler, originally part of general manager Adam Peters' first free agency class in 2024, was a key part of the Commanders' success that season. The Commanders liked several parts of Ekeler's dynamic skill set -- he accounted for 733 total yards and four touchdowns that year -- but his veteran leadership for the young players on the roster was viewed just as highly. The plan was for him to remain part of the offense last season, which is why Washington re-signed him in the offseason, but an Achilles injury in Week 2 sidelined him for the remainder of the year.
It took about a year for Ekeler to recover and get to a point where he felt like his old self on the field. That last part took time. There were times when he contemplated whether it was feasible, and even as early as four months ago, he wasn't satisfied with his progress. It wasn't until two months ago that he started to feel that "I have the pop back," which led to him reaching out to teams for a workout. Not only were the Commanders interested, but they wanted to get him on the field as soon as possible.
"Being back in the brotherhood where I've been around the coaches and I know what to expect over here was really something that was gonna be a more seamless opportunity for me to start playing sooner," Ekeler said.
But things have changed for the Commanders' offense in the time that Ekeler was away from the team. David Blough is now the offensive coordinator and has brought in a new system. The running back room is almost completely overhauled with Rachaad White and Kaytron Allen as new additions to the backfield. The Commanders are currently ninth in rushing offense but still trying to maximize the position's production.
Ekeler's biggest task is finding a role in Washington's new scheme. He described the situation like "drinking through a fire hose," as he's spent much of his time learning a playbook that is fundamentally different from the one Kliff Kingsbury ran in 2024 and 2025. He's been asking Croskey-Merritt questions about the system, which has been an amusing switch-up from last season when he was bugging Ekeler for knowledge.
On the field, though, Ekeler looks as comfortable as ever to Croskey-Merritt.
"He looks like he's in shape," Croskey-Merritt said. "It's the same thing; just him bringing his leadership. He's the same guy, so it's always fun to be around somebody like Austin."
And Ekeler is intrigued by the dynamic he can have with Croskey-Merritt, White and Allen when he gets up to speed.
"I think the more firepower we have, the better, especially at the running back position," Ekeler said. "It's a brutal position; you take a lot of hits, and you have a lot of different body types for different types of play schemes. That's what I think is what's best of what we have now."
The Commanders brought Ekeler with them to London as they prepare for their Week 4 international matchup with the Indianapolis Colts, so they clearly believe he's going to be on the field sooner, rather than later. Head coach Dan Quinn all but confirmed that during his Monday press conference. How big that role will be has yet to be determined, but they believe they are better with him on the field.
"We'll get him into the mix and see what the next three days look like," Quinn said. "It's cool to have Austin here. He's a great teammate and really one respected teammate here."
And if Ekeler is fully recovered, it's easy to see why the Commanders are confident in his skill set. He averaged nearly seven yards per touch and had the best catch rate of his career in 2024. He also had 594 kickoff return yards, earning him Second Team All-Pro honors.
It could take time for Ekeler to get to that level of production, but he's making progress.
"Now, it's just learning the terminology," Ekeler said. "It'll be an adjustment, but I'll get there."
