Austin Ekeler Is Ready for More as Commanders Face Eagles With Croskey-Merritt Still Out

A bigger role for Ekeler could give Washington more flexibility as the offense simplifies its personnel combinations and tries to play faster.

Oct 19, 2026; Santa Clara, California, USA; Washington Commanders RB Austin Ekeler (30) makes a catch as San Francisco 49ers safety Ashtyn Davis (24) defends during the fourth quarter at Levi's Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Cary Edmondson-Ima | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect

After Austin Ekeler's first three games back with Washington, Commanders head coach Dan Quinn updated everyone on the running back Wednesday: "Now I think the play time can now increase; he's ready for that." That news couldn't come at a better time, as the team prepares for Philadelphia, already without Jacory Croskey-Merritt for at least the next three games while he's on injured reserve.

To put things in perspective, Ekeler played 17 snaps against the Colts, six against the Giants, and seven against the 49ers. Against the 49ers, Rachaad White played 46 snaps, and Jeremy McNichols played 12.

Quinn's comments give real hope that Ekeler will get more opportunities in an offense that needs more consistent production. "I feel his quickness, I feel his decisiveness. And so now that he's back, we'll need to lean in more, and he's able to handle a bigger workload now," Quinn said.

How Austin Ekeler Fits Washington’s Simpler Offense

Ekeler described how a simpler offense could make assignments more universal, allowing multiple players to fill the same spot. “Maybe it's not as many different types of personnel groupings. Maybe not as many combinations of different types of players,” he said.

"And so I think it's something that helps us play faster, but I think it's still an offense that you can go attack and have a diversified game plan," Ekeler said.

That could suit Ekeler, who can take a handoff or give Jayden Daniels an outlet out of the backfield without Washington having to substitute. A matchup with a linebacker in space could let Daniels get the ball out quickly and give Ekeler room to create after the catch.

Against Philadelphia, those opportunities need to help Washington sustain drives. A productive first-down carry or a short reception that sets up third-and-manageable would give the offense more options and take some pressure off Daniels to manufacture a big play. Ekeler doesn’t have to carry the offense, but helping keep it on schedule would be a good place to start.

We heard a lot about simplifying the offense, Austin Ekeler did a good job explaining it pic.twitter.com/UHmlLUuosI

— JP Finlay (@JPFinlayNBCS) October 28, 2026

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