Austin Ekeler's Decision to Find The Right Role With Washington Commanders Criticized

Former NFL back Tiki Barber made some pretty silly comments about Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler.

David Harrison | Jul 3, 2024

Dec 12, 2021; Inglewood, California, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back Austin Ekeler (30) runs the ball against New York Giants cornerback Julian Love (20) during the first half at SoFi Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports / Gary A. Vasquez-USA TODAY Sports

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It didn't take long for the Washington Commanders and running back Austin Ekeler to agree to terms once the open negotiating period began ahead of the 2024 NFL league year.

Ekeler's move to the Commanders was sparked by a few things but mainly, according to the back, he left the Los Angeles Chargers because they didn't want the same things out of his role with the team.

While the Chargers wanted a 300-carry per season back, Ekeler knows that's not his game, and he found a team in Washington that wanted the type of back he is.

"I know I'm going to be one of those backs that's going to catch it and run the ball," Ekeler said on The Rich Eisen Show. "And then when I've had the most success, it's been usually when we have some type of tandem where we have someone else that can relieve me."

New Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler was criticized by former New York Giants back Tiki Barber

"Dude, you couldn't get me off the field,"
- Tiki Barber

That quote is part of a conversation where Ekeler openly stated he knows he's not the type of back to carry the ball 300 times in a single season. Something that rubbed former New York Giants running back Tiki Barber the wrong way.

"It was discouraging because he was asked about why the Jim Harbaugh-led Chargers weren't ideal for him, or why did they move on from him? And you know what his answer was? They want a guy who can run the ball 300 times a season," Barber said.

Of course, Ekeler's decision has nothing to do with Barber, but he made it about himself by then wanting to compare his own track record to that of the new Commanders back's.

He also made other claims like, "Dude, you couldn't get me off the field," and followed up by complaining about players getting maintenance weeks before finally calling today's NFL game, "soft."

Of course, Barber is also the same player who announced his eventual retirement in October of 2006 and then afterwards was quoted as saying, “I didn’t get a lot of time off...I couldn’t sit down and rest myself. It was a constant grind, a physical grind on me that started to take its toll."

Those comments came after coach Tom Coughlin was hired as the head coach of the Giants and handed the ball to Barber 300+ times his first three seasons with the team. Leading to the back's retirement.

It also led to his only three Pro Bowl seasons and his lone First-Team All-Pro selection, something Barber credits Coughlin for - while blaming his tough-nosed and hard-working approach to forcing his retirement.

The same workload he's now criticizing Ekeler for not wanting, and one Barber claims the team 'couldn't get me off the field,' to get. Clearly Barber wanted off the field plenty, and when Coughlin and New York wouldn't give him what he wanted he walked off of it altogether.

"If he had been working with Jon Gruden or somebody like that who knew how to use backs and not give him like 30 touches every single game … maybe he would’ve played longer but he was just beat up and done," Tiki's Hall of Fame brother Ronde Barber was quoted as saying to Rick Stroud of The Tampa Bay Times.

It would appear Barber has forgotten how much he blames being a 300+ carry player on his somewhat early retirement, and would like to see today's backs forced into the same workload he so loathed in his own playing days. An interesting take, for sure.

Fortunately for Ekeler, he doesn't have to lean on Barber's opinions to shape his own career, and as he enters his eighth NFL season has the benefit of seeing eye-to-eye with his coaches, and being considered a leader on his team. Some backs just aren't so fortunate, we suppose.

Football is a hard game, and Barber isn't the first to cite wear and tear as a reason for retirement. Usually, it's a very understandable reason. Here, however, Barber choosing to criticize a player for seeking an opportunity to extend his career while competing on the field is baffling, confusing, and simply ridiculous.

Stick with CommanderGameday and the Locked On Commanders podcast for more coverage of the Washington Commanders throughout the 2024 season.

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• Giants Defense Will Look 'A Lot Different' in 2024

Published Jul 3, 2024

DAVID HARRISON

David Harrison has covered the NFL since 2015 as a digital content creator in both written and audio media. He is the host of Locked On Commanders and a graduate of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism at Arizona State University. His previous career was as a Military Working Dog Handler for the United States Army. Contact David via email at david.w.harrison82@gmail.com or on Twitter @DHarrison82.