Austin Ekeler explains leaving Chargers: ‘They want a guy they can hand the ball off to 300 times a year’

“I think you can kind of see how they’ve been building the team so far this offseason,” Ekeler said. “Went out and drafted a tackle first round, brought in some bigger backs over from Baltimore. So it’s like, hey, they want a guy they can hand the ball off to 300 times a year and, look, I haven’t had that capacity to do that. That’s not my game. That’s not how Austin Ekeler’s gonna be the best on the field. So there was the misalignment there, which, no harm, no foul, I’m going to go find somewhere else where Austin can be the best version of myself out there.”

Under Jim Harbaugh, the Chargers certainly seem like a club that wants a power element to the run game, hence the Edwards addition. However, we’ll likely see a committee approach — especially if Dobbins proves healthy — and not a 300-carry season from anyone in the Chargers’ backfield.

Meanwhile, after seeing his production dip last year due to injuries, Ekeler heads to the Washington Commanders as a pass-catching and change-of-pace option in Kliff Kingsbury’s offense alongside power back Brian Robinson and second-year RB Chris Rodriguez Jr.. The 29-year-old will likely get back to a role similar to what he enjoyed earlier in his career in L.A. when he was a more significant part of the passing game than a run option.