The Washington Commanders' running back room is causing the front office and the coaching staff to face a difficult decision. Their intended starter candidates, Austin Ekeler and Brian Robinson Jr., are entering the final years of their contracts.
The team also drafted Jacory Croskey-Merritt as a seventh-round pick in April's draft to help bolster the position group.
Critics would contend that none of the three running backs are at this point in their careers fully capable of being a star lead back in any offense. ... though of course Ekeler once did that with the Chargers.
In the case of Ekeler now? Maybe at age 30 he actually thrives in a "by committee" approach.
As he gets set for his ninth NFL season, though, the former Los Angeles back is surely acutely aware that he could be playing his final year in the league, especially after missing five games with injuries in 2024.
And there are observers who want to make that push now.
Douglas Fritz from Clutch Points believes that Washington could move on from Ekeler this offseason. He predicts that the team will trade Ekeler - who in his career is a 73-touchdown guy - to make room for their seventh-round rookie.
"Add in the fact that he's coming off an injury-plagued season with the dreaded concussion," Fritz said. "Further complicating his spot on the roster has been the emergence of a rookie seventh-round selection. Jacory Croskey-Merritt could make Ekeler expendable (a.k.a. tradeable) if he continues to flash NFL-ready signs during the upcoming training camp."
Our thoughts? We have our doubts that a seventh-round rookie is anywhere close, in terms of dependability for a Super Bowl contender - than Ekeler.
Ekeler won't be a part of Washington's long-term plans.
But the short-term plan is to win big. ... and Ekeler figures to be a key component in that push.