The Washington Commanders saw their season come to a screeching halt in a 55-23 blowout loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Championship Game, and in the process jump started their postseason process.
Part of that process is going to include overhauling a budget-bargain roster not meant to reach the heights it did, and that could mean a lot of new faces in Washington in 2025.
Bleacher Report lists NFL All-Pro running back/return specialist Austin Ekeler as one of the high-profile names who could be released as a salary cap casualty.
From Bleacher Report: “The Commanders mostly used Ekeler as a receiving back. Brian Robinson Jr. and Jayden Daniels saw a lot more of the carries. Ekeler did turn his 41 targets into 35 catches for 366 yards. Washington could probably get that kind of production at a much cheaper rate if they are looking to carve out about $3.5 million in their budget.”
Ekeler signed a 2-year, $8.34 million contract with the Commanders in March 2024 but serious injury issues need to be considered after he missed 5 games due to 2 separate concussions in 2024.
In Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys, Ekeler suffered a concussion so severe it forced him to miss the next 4 games.
“I didn’t even remember how I got off the field,” Ekeler said in a radio appearance following the Week 12 concussion. “I just remember coming to — as far as remembering stuff — I had short-term memory loss. I remember my wife was sitting in the room, and I’m getting evaluated by our medical staff in the back room. That’s when I started to remember things, and then all of a sudden, OK, we’re getting in the back of the ambulance to go get a CT scan. I was definitely concussed and seeing some major symptoms there.”
Ekeler Led NFL in Touchdowns in ’21 and ’22
Ekeler spent the first 7 seasons of his career with the Los Angeles Chargers, where he made the team as an undrafted free agent out of NCAA Division II Western Colorado and led the NFL in touchdowns in 2021 and 2022.
Ekeler cashed in with one big payday with the Chargers, where he signed a 4-year, $24.5 million contract extension in March 2020.
In 2022, Ekeler had a career year and finished with 1,637 yards of total offense and 18 total touchdowns — he also finished ninth in the voting for NFL Offensive Player of the Year. In 2024, in just 12 games, Ekeler still had 1,305 all-purpose yards and 4 touchdowns while adding punt return and kick return duties.
Ekeler’s definining moment with the Commanders could be one he’d more than like to forget — his fumble in the NFC Championship Game against the Eagles was one of 4 for Washington in the game and one of the 3 that led to Philadelphia touchdowns.
Commanders Could Draft RB in Later Rounds
While no one expects the Commanders to draft a running back in the first round of the 2025 NFL draft, it would probably be smart to go after one in the later rounds.
As a franchise, drafting a running back in the first round just isn’t something Washington has done over the years. The Commanders haven’t selected a running back in the first round since drafting Ray McDonald out of the University of Idaho with the No. 13 overall pick in 1967.
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Commanders Predicted to Cut Ties With Former $24 Million All-Pro