Austin Ekeler feared to have torn Achilles after suffering non-contact injury

The nature of the injury closely resembles that of athletes who went on to be diagnosed with torn Achilles tendons. The Commanders ruled Ekeler out and confirmed he was dealing with an Achilles issue.

According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Commanders’ initial belief is that Ekeler did tear the Achilles tendon in his right leg. He is scheduled to undergo further testing on Friday for confirmation.

The 30-year-old left the contest with 17 rushing yards on a team-high 8 carries. He tallied 26 yards on 6 rushing attempts in the Commanders’ Week 1 win over the New York Giants.

The nine-year pro has stayed relatively injury-free throughout most of his career. He has never missed more than six games during a single season since the Los Angeles Chargers signed him as an undrafted free agent in 2017. Ekeler left the Chargers to join the Commanders on a two-year deal before the start of last season.

If Ekeler is sidelined for an extended period, the Commanders’ rushing attack would need to rely more heavily on rookie Jacory Croskey-Merritt. The young running back, who goes by the nickname “Bill,” earned Rookie of the Week honors in Week 1 after he rushed for 82 yards and a touchdown on 10 carries in his NFL debut.