Top 3 Landing Spots for Austin Ekeler in Free Agency
Despite having had a disappointing season with the Los Angeles Chargers, Austin Ekeler is still a talented running back in the National Football League. Ekeler got 628 running yards and 436 receiving yards in a contract season. Some teams should still be interested in signing the dual-threat back in free agency to bolster their offense.
#3. Houston Texans
The Houston offense lacked a receiving threat out of the backfield, among other things. Devin Singletary only gained 194 yards on 30 receptions. In particular, the bell-cow back may get yards in the ground without being a receiving threat from Singletary. The Texans were lacking a dual-threat, change of pace player like Ekeler, and he might be even more of a benefit to CJ Stroud heading into his sophomore season following an outstanding rookie campaign.
#2. Minnesota Vikings
The Vikings' running back room didn't exactly go as planned following Dalvin Cook's departure. Alexander Mattison only managed 3.9 yards per run, showing a lack of productivity. While Ty Chandler offered some optimism, the Vikings under Kevin O'Connell's plan would benefit greatly from having a proven player like Ekeler on staff. It would also be great to have a trustworthy running back as the Vikings may consider drafting a rookie quarterback.
#1. Los Angeles Chargers
Even though Ekeler wasn't precisely used to his full potential on the ground by the Chargers under Kellen Moore, he was still a key component of the team's run game to relieve pressure on Justin Herbert. The Chargers are now searching for a new head coach, and perhaps the new guy will be able to make better use of Ekeler while maintaining his receiving production.
