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John Keim
Washington Commanders running back Austin greeting suffered a torn right Achilles and will miss the remainder of the season, a source told ESPN on Saturday.
The news was anticipated after Ekeler exited Washington’s 27-18 loss to Green Bay in the fourth quarter Thursday night.
“Thank you all for the love and well wishes. I appreciate you all,” Ekeler wrote in an Instagram story Saturday.
Ekeler ran a route with 5:50 remaining in the game and fell to the ground without any contact. He needed to be helped off the field before being carted to the locker room. Ekeler exited the locker room with a walking boot and on crutches, and he was clearly dejected.
“That will be significant,” Washington coach Dan Quinn said after the game. “He provides a lot of unique things for us.”
It’s a crucial blow to Washington’s offense as Ekeler served as the primary back — though the Commanders don’t have one dominant rusher — and excelled on third downs and in the spread packages.
Last season, Ekeler rushed for 367 yards and gained another 366 receiving. Quinn also constantly pointed out his leadership in the running backs room as well as with the offense in general.
The Commanders have three other running backs on their roster in rookie Jacory Croskey-MerrittVeteran Jeremy McNichols and third-year Chris Rodriguezwho was inactive the first two games but had a strong training camp and preseason.
Washington traded veteran Brian Robinson Jr. to the San Francisco 49ers for a sixth-round draft pick last month.
Ekeler spent his first seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargersmaking their roster as an undrafted free agent.
