Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler has had an odd week. After initially Tweeting out a video on Wednesday of how hyped he is to begin Week 1 of the season, he suffered a hamstring injury at practice just about an hour later. Rumors circled that the injury was deemed not serious and shouldn't be a major concern for his availability for Sunday's contest against the Washington Football Team, but a concerning update surfaced today, via ESPN's Field Yates:
For the second consecutive day, Chargers RB Austin Ekeler is officially listed as a non-participant in practice due to a hamstring injury.
— Field Yates (@FieldYates) September 9, 2021
Ekeler has had durability concerns start to surface over the last couple seasons, as he missed 6 games due to injury last season and was banged up with lingering issues often times even when he did play.
No one questions Ekeler's ability to produce when he is on the field, however, as he's one of the league's most dynamic dual-threat backs, and it would honestly be a bit disrespectful to reduce him to simply a Christian McCaffrey-lite. He's averaged over 90 scrimmage yards per game over each of the last two seasons (including at least 40 receiving yards per game as well), which includes a monster 2019 where he caught 92 passes on 108 targets for a whopping 993 receiving yards and 8 touchdowns.
His role in the Chargers offense is imperative for their success in 2021 if they want to take the step from being a good offense in the NFL to an elite, playoff-level one. L.A. has budding star QB Justin Herbert, a bonafide WR1 in Keenan Allen, a dynamic deep threat in Mike Williams, and Ekeler has to be there to round out a complete skill position unit.
Against a talented Washington defense, Ekeler will be even more important than usual, as the WFT boasts one of the league's best pass rushes and will force Herbert to get the ball out quickly.
If Austin Ekeler is not available for Sunday, things could get ugly for Herbert and Co. If not, however, we should be in store for an amazing ballgame.
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