Austin Ekeler’s speed is not his calling card. He is not considered to be the fastest running back in the NFL.
However, one particular run from Sunday’s game does not reflect well on the Los Angeles Chargers running back’s wheels. He looked like he was running in slow motion.
Ekeler took the handoff at the 49-yard-line and broke a tackle just before the line of scrimmage.
As he broke the run to the outside, there was nothing but green grass in front of him.
Ekeler turned on the jets and took off down the sideline.
Unfortunately, his jets did not do him much good. They were more like a prop plane.
Ekeler looked like a tight end trying to accelerate, not a running back in stride. The Packers defense quickly ran him down and tackled him after a 30ish-yard gain.
It was a solid run, but it should have gone for six. The speed simply wasn’t there.
Ekeler has dealt with a lot of injuries throughout his career, including an ankle injury at the start of 2023. The shelf life of a running back is the shortest among any position in the NFL at an average of 2.57 years.
At 28 years old, Ekeler has been in the league since 2017. This is his seventh season with the Chargers. He has had a very lucrative career both in terms of on-field stats and financials.
There is no reason to overreact based on one single run. But Ekeler looked slower than molasses.
Maybe his ankle isn’t right. Maybe he’s just slow.
Even though the run went for a big gain, whatever it is that kept Austin Ekeler from blowing past the Green Bay defense did not reflect well on his speed. He absolutely should have scored. The burst just wasn’t there.