Chargers News: Austin Ekeler's Clear Fix for Running Back Position Controversy
The running back position has been at the forefront of the football world for quite some time now. The position may not be going extinct, but it certainly isn't attractive.
The position is all anyone could talk about, and it's primarily due to Chargers star running back Austin Ekeler. Ekeler requested a trade from the Botls in mid-March due to him outplaying the money he was earning.
The Botls respected the decision, but the trade didn't happen, and he will now ride out his final contract year. The issue at hand is that owners don't want to spend a lot of money on running backs, including the premier ones in the league. It's hurting their value, and questions about a potential position switch are surfacing.
The position is not hot right now, and the players are not fans of it. However, Ekeler, the leader in the justice for his fellow running backs, issued a simple solution to their fight to be appropriately compensated; let your game do the talking.
"All the running backs out there, what we can do in the short term is to continue to make an impact," Ekeler said during a one-on-one interview with CBS Sports. "I'm going to go out there and try to score as many touchdowns as I can, play my game, be consistent, make a big impact. And also, when we get asked about it, have some type of narrative. For us, we need to have some consistent messaging when it comes to that. … That's why we had to have those calls. Things like that are things we can do in the short term to help ourselves out."
It's a short time solution, but it might be the best way to approach the issue head-on.
Show teams and owners that you are valuable, worth your money, and can contribute to a winning team.
One of the ways to resolve this issue was a private meeting that Ekeler spearheaded a couple of weeks ago with other fellow top running backs like Raiders' Josh Jacobs, 49ers' Christian McCaffery, Browns' Nick Chubb, Steelers' Najee Harris, and Titans' Derrick Henry to name a few.
They bounced ideas off each other and provided one another to be educated and educate themselves on the issue.
This is something Ekeler is vocal and passionate about; although times are tough for his position group, he has shown the willingness never to give up. His short-term solution is the way to go, and I'm sure he'll do his part in letting his game do the talking.
