You don't sign the guy who leads his position group in combined total touchdowns over the last three seasons without the intent of deploying him as your No. 1 option, right?
In the case of the Washington Commanders and new veteran free agent addition, running back Austin Ekeler, that remains to be seen.
And it's totally fine. The Commanders already had a solid running back in Brian Robinson before they added Ekeler. Robinson is entering his third year in the league and has started his career with back-to-back seasons of 730+ rushing yards. He added some pass-catching ability to his game last year, too, recording 36 receptions for 368-yards and four touchdowns.
So, even though Robinson has put himself in a good spot, it's totally fair to wonder what happens now that Ekeler is in the picture. Will Robinson have to prove himself to a new coaching staff? Can both co-exist?
Ekeler painted a potential picture of the duo's future in Kliff Kingsbury's offense on the most recent episode of the God Bless Football podcast.
"I was looking for someone who had a back that's solid [and] that's [already] there. That I can come in, and also complement, and we can really bounce this thing off of each other, as far as our production," said Ekeler. "That's what I felt [was] best and that's what I was looking for. It ended up being with Washington. That's why it kind of played itself out, because that's what I was looking for and that's what they were also looking for out of me, as well...
"... I'm excited because Brian Robinson's in the room with me over there, or I guess I'm joining his room - depending on how you look at it."
Ekeler and Robinson are a great fit and have the potential to be a lethal duo
It's due to the fact that both players bring a different running style/game to the table at different sizes. Ekeler is the smaller, quicker back at 5-foot-10, 200-pounds and Robinson is listed at 6-foot-1, 228-pounds.
The key with both, though, as explained earlier, is they can catch the ball. That will keep defenses honest when either on the field. It won't be like a, let's say, Derrick Henery-Tyjae Spears deal where the chances of a run increase exponentially when Henry is on the field due to his lack of effectiveness in both pass pro and as a receiver.
"We're very different types of runners, right," said Ekeler. "He's like, 6'1", you know, 220 or whatever he is... So kind of going back to almost, me and the Melvin Gordon punch. I'm looking forward to see how that dynamic plays out."
Ekeler's mention of his previous partnership with Gordon is interesting because it was a very effective one for a few years. Especially from 2018-2019, when the Chargers were the only team, outside the New Orleans Saints, to have two different running backs rush for 500+ yards in each season.
In all, it's an excellent combination of experience, youth, and versatility. In today's NFL - that's all you can ask for and it should come in handy, big time, during the regular season.
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