Getty The Philadelphia Eagles could be an ideal destination for Chargers RB Austin Ekeler.
The Philadelphia Eagles could be the ideal landing spot for one of the NFL’s top names.
As proposed by CBS Sports’ Cody Benjamin, the Eagles are one of three teams that are considered a “logical” landing spot for Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler. The 27-year-old Ekeler has requested a trade due to his unhappiness with his current contract. Despite leading the league in touchdowns over the past two seasons, Ekeler is due just $6.3 million in base salary for the 2023 season, making him the 13th-highest paid back in the league.
Benjamins explains why Los Angeles should trade Ekeler, who is entering the last year of his contract.
“If Los Angeles is serious about maintaining an elite supporting cast for Justin Herbert, it’ll find a way to give Ekeler the raise he’s publicly seeking, even if for just this season,” says Benjamin. “Similar to Christian McCaffrey with his reliable high-volume pass catching, he’s quite underpaid at $6.125M per year (13th among RBs) entering a contract year. The Chargers could gain $6.25M in savings should they deal him to a contender, however, and address the position with a handful of cheaper gambles.”
Austin Ekeler is Arguably NFL’s Best Dual-Threat Back
There’s little doubt that Ekeler is arguably the best dual-threat back in the league. He’s a bonafide rushing and receiving weapon, having run for at least 900 yards in each of the past two years while catching 107 balls last season. Ekeler not only led all running backs in receptions, he ranked fifth in the league among all players. His 107 passes caught last season also ranked second all time among running backs in a single season.
The question is, would the Eagles be interested?
Philadelphia just signed former Seattle Seahawks running back Rashaad Penny to replace their former starter, Miles Sanders. Part of the reason why they did is because Penny costs substantially less than Sanders, who signed a four-year, $25 million deal with the Carolina Panthers.
While Sanders will have an average annual salary of $6.4 million, Penny’s one-year deal with the Eagles is worth just $1.35 million with $600,000 guaranteed. Penny is due to be the 52nd-highest paid running back in the league despite entering offseason activities as the projected starter.
Ekeler — who earns an average annual salary of $6.1 million and wants more money — might be too expensive for Philadelphia. With that being said, there’s little doubt that Ekeler’s dual-threat abilities would fit the Eagles’ system perfectly.
Why the Eagles Should Be Interested in Austin Ekeler
While Sanders was a detriment in the receiving game — he caught just 20 passes for 78 yards last season, one of the worst receiving totals of any starting RB in the league — Ekeler excels in it. Furthermore, he’s the definition of a durable back, having played less than 14 games in a single season just once in his career.
Despite being the featured back in Los Angeles, he’s accustomed to playing in two-back systems, playing in 65% of the offensive snaps during the 2021 season and 62% of the offensive snaps during the 2022 season. Backup running back Joshua Kelley saw a decent clip of playing time last season, appearing in 29% of the offensive snaps.
Ekeler would make more sense as Philly’s starting back rather than Penny, who has often been injured in his career. Penny is coming off of a broken fibula injury last season and has missed 38 games over the past four seasons alone due to injuries.
While Ekeler makes sense for the Eagles, the more likely scenario sees Philadelphia move forward with Penny as its projected starter, while also targeting a running back in the 2023 NFL draft.