It’s indeed a new era for Washington Commanders football. Ron Rivera has departed as head coach, and Dan Quinn steps in to take his place. Despite Quinn’s defensive background, there are new offensive weapons that are expected to bring success.
Among these are running back Austin Ekeler, who was signed in free agency after spending seven years with the Los Angeles Chargers. Additionally, quarterback Jayden Daniels joins the team as their first-round pick, selected second overall in the 2024 NFL Draft.
Daniels enters a division rich with quarterback talent. The Dallas Cowboys feature Dak Prescott (at least for now), while the Philadelphia Eagles showcase Jalen Hurts. A significant question this season revolves around how Daniels, as a rookie NFL player, will measure up against these two MVP-caliber contenders.
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler has expressed high praise for quarterback Jayden Daniels.
Yesterday, during his appearance on the NFL Network, Ekeler made it clear that he has no concerns about how rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels will perform compared to the highly talented quarterbacks in the division.
“He’s an absolute stud out there slinging it,” Ekeler said. “I love his leadership that he’s shown early on. You know, he’s texting me about routes, he’s calling me out in practice, ‘Hey, Ek, this is what we need to do on this,’ or ‘What did you see on this choice route?’”
Ekeler continued, “He’s got all of the right stuff that I love to see from a quarterback that he’s been bringing out in the first couple of weeks that I’ve met him. Looking forward to his growth, and we have a lot of veterans like you mentioned that we brought in to help set the culture.”
The Commanders’ running back is no stranger to playing with talented quarterbacks. He spent his entire career up to this point with either Philip Rivers or Justin Herbert as his quarterback with the Chargers.
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler addressed the team’s situation in 2023.
Jun 5, 2024; Ashburn, VA, USA; Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler (30) carries the ball during OTA workouts at Commanders Park. Mandatory Credit: Geoff Burke-USA TODAY Sports
Ekeler was also asked about how he and the current Commanders players are working to change the culture in Washington. He responded, “I’m thinking about how we can become the best team possible right now while we’re coming together with each other because we have a lot of new pieces, a lot of new parts.”
He continued, “I don’t care about what happened last year. In this league, we’re judged on what we’ve done lately. Well, that’s in the past. As a team, we have a new opportunity to move forward.”
Washington has been in need of change for a long time, and now it seems like they are finally making those changes.