Tag: Austin Ekeler stats

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler not expected to return in 2024

Austin Ekeler just finished up his seventh NFL season.

The Chargers will begin revamping their roster in the next couple of months when free agency starts.

That includes re-signing some of their own pending free agents. But among the players likely not to be back next season is running back Austin Ekeler.

“I’m not going to be with these guys anymore, and it’s one of those journeys that I’ll always remember,” Ekeler said, per The Athletic’s Daniel Popper. “But sad that it has to end.”

Following a trade request this past offseason, Ekeler stayed with Los Angeles after $1.75 million in incentives were added to his contract.

Even though he surpassed 1,000 total yards on the year, Ekeler had a disappointing 2023 season. He wasn’t efficient on the ground, averaging a career-low 3.5 yards per carry.

Ekeler, who was signed by the Chargers as an undrafted rookie back in 2017, has 4,355 rushing yards, 3,884 receiving yards and 69 total touchdowns across seven seasons.

Even though Ekeler will be 29 years old next season, his versatility should still appeal to a handful of NFL teams.

Along with Ekeler, Joshua Kelley is slated to be a free agent. That just leaves Isaiah Spiller as the only member in the backfield, so expect the Chargers to add to the positional group this offseason.

Stats that show how dominant the Chargers’ rushing offense was vs. Dolphins

The revitalized run game was the lone bright spot for the Chargers.

There wasn’t much good to take away from the Chargers’ loss to the Dolphins on Sunday afternoon. But the lone bright spot was their rushing offense.

Los Angeles finished with 243 yards on the ground on 40 carries. Austin Ekeler had 117 yards and a touchdown on 17 carries, including a 55-yard rush in the first half. Joshua Kelley ran the ball 16 times, gaining 91 yards and scoring a touchdown.

According to NFL Media’s Next Gen Stats, Ekeler and Kelley combined for a league-high +66 rushing yards over expected in Week 1. The Bolts recorded a 70.0% rushing success rate, the 2nd-highest in a game over the last two seasons.

The Chargers brought in offensive coordinator Kellen Moore to improve the rushing attack, which came to fruition on Sunday. Moore’s downhill approach in the running game perfectly suits the skill sets of the offensive linemen, Ekeler and Kelley.

Holes were consistently being opened up at the line of scrimmage and Ekeler and Kelley read and pressed upfield to pick up positive yardage.

Having a revitalized rushing offense is great, as it will keep defenses honest on a weekly basis and allow for plenty more opportunities for Justin Herbert in the downfield passing game.

Predicting Chargers RB Austin Ekeler’s stats for 2023 season

Austin Ekeler is set to have a monster 2023 season as he looks to justify a massive payday as a free agent in 2024.

Running back Austin Ekeler was an integral part of the Chargers’ offense in 2022, but frustrations with his current contract caused issues for him in the offseason, leaving his future with the team uncertain.

Ekeler will suit up for Los Angeles as planned in 2023 with an eye toward the future. If history has taught fans anything about players in contract seasons, his production should see a significant uptick next season.

Ekeler will be playing not only for his pride and the team’s success but for a payday that could be in the tens of millions of dollars per year if his counting stats warrant such an investment by a running back-needy team.

After rushing for just under 1,000 yards last season in 17 games, it isn’t a stretch to think that he might be able to eclipse the four-digit threshold for the first time in his career in 2023.

What makes him such a valuable asset, though, is his versatility. Ekeler’s steady presence in the passing game as a safety valve for Justin Herbert is part of what opposing defenses fear, and in a make-or-break season, he can be expected to exceed the 722 yards and 5 touchdowns he managed through the air last year.

The bottom line is this: Ekeler is one of the NFL’s premier running backs in an exceptionally explosive offense under new coordinator Kellen Moore, and his contract situation will motivate him to play with an extra edge in each game on the Bolts’ schedule.

Watch for him to set career highs in multiple categories next season and for a team looking to upgrade its offense to pounce on the chance to add him at the trade deadline or in the 2024 free agency period.

Our prediction: 225 carries for 1,050 rushing yards and 11 rushing touchdowns. 95 receptions for 800 yards and seven receiving touchdowns.

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler achieves outstanding feat

Chargers RB Austin Ekeler was a scoring machine this season.

Chargers running back Austin Ekeler became just the seventh non-quarterback in NFL history to combine for 20 touchdowns between the regular and post-season.

Ekeler had 18 entering the playoffs, but his two rushing touchdowns in the playoff game against the Jaguars put him at 20. He led all non-quarterbacks in total touchdowns.

Despite a lackluster running game as a whole, Ekeler provided plenty of value to the offense with his versatile skill set this season.

Ekeler finished the 2022 regular season as the franchise’s single-season reception leader (107), surpassing Keenan Allen’s previous record of 106. He topped the 900-yard mark on the ground for the second consecutive campaign.

As the Chargers look to the future and figure out what they can do to find playoff success for the first time in decades, Ekeler will be a key part of their plans.

For now, though, this statistical accomplishment will only serve to soften the painful blow of Los Angeles’ season-ending loss in the Wild Card round of the AFC playoffs.

The Bolts will need to enter the 2023 season with a different approach to keep from squandering yet another year of Ekeler’s outstanding efforts in their offense.