The Los Angeles Chargers are slated to look a lot different in 2024 than they did in 2023.
Part of that is due to coaching changes, but this team will also have to adjust to their updated roster.
The Chargers moved on from many of their core players from last year, including veteran running back, Austin Ekeler.
Ekeler was reportedly frustrated with the front office, and after being unable to make a deal, he ended up signing with the Washington Commanders.
While a new team might be viewed as a good thing to some, Tiki Barber isn’t too impressed with Ekeler’s comments after leaving the team.
“They wanted a guy to hand the ball off to 300 times a year… that’s not my game. There was a misalignment there, no harm, no foul.”
– Commanders RB Austin Ekeler on why he left the Chargers
(via @UpAndAdamsShow)
pic.twitter.com/DuSHQJN4Am— SleeperNFL (@SleeperNFL) June 17, 2024
Barber recently made an appearance on WFAN Sports Radio, where he went into detail about these comments.
“They want someone who can run the ball three hundred times a season,” Barber quoted from Ekeler.
.@TikiBarber‘s got some beef with Austin Ekeler about his comments on not returning to the Chargers? pic.twitter.com/9cxXOdVunv
— WFAN Sports Radio (@WFAN660) July 3, 2024
In Barber’s mind, running backs are supposed to run the ball, as that is their primary job.
That was the case when Barber was in the league, and while the NFL has transitioned to have a pass-first approach in many instances, running backs still need to open up holes in the passing game through their rushing abilities.
If Ekeler’s concern with the Chargers was purely about his potential workload, Barber seems to think that his absence was for a poor reason.
He could still see a high workload with the Commanders, even if he was also used as a pass-catching back during his time with the Chargers.
