The Chargers aren’t bringing Philip Rivers back. They might not re-sign Melvin Gordon either. The team on Friday agreed on a new contract with Austin Ekeler.
Ekeler, who was going to become a restricted free agent, agreed to a four-year deal worth $24.5 million, with $15 million guaranteed. That’s as reported by ESPN’s Adam Schefter.
The deal gives the Chargers plenty of flexibility entering the offseason. If they choose to re-sign Gordon, it will be at a price they like. They could sign or draft another running back. Or they might pair Ekeler with Justin Jackson, who had some success late in the 2018 season.
Ekeler is a smaller back, so they’ll likely look to pair him with somebody. He’s not built to be used in a heavy-duty role. They don’t want to burn him out. But it looks like they’ll be looking for him to be a significant part of their offense.
"He can do so much with the football with the amount of touches he gets,” says GM Tom Telesco. “It doesn't just have to be as a running back. We can put him in the slot. We can put him out wide. He's a pretty dangerous player for us and a big part of our offense. He's going to play a lot." Ekeler’s been remarkably good, considering he was just an undrafted free agent coming out of Division II Western State (in Colorado) in 2017.
It’s early. The Chargers likely will add another notable back. They’ve also got to find a starting quarterback, and that player might not be as effective as Rivers on screen pass plays – might not have the same timely and feel for when to use them. So let’s not pencil in Ekeler for another 80-plus catches just yet.
But he should be one of the league’s better pass-catching backs, and it’s that receiving production that fuels his value in most fantasy leagues. Using PPR scoring, Ekeler put up the 2nd-best receiving numbers by a running back since the merger last year – 92 catches for 993 yards and 8 TDs. The only guy who’s been better (in the last 50 years) also played last season (Christian McCaffrey).
On this chart here, you’re seeing on the pass-catching production (the rushing yards and touchdowns aren’t listed).
| BEST RECEIVING SEASONS BY RUNNING BACKS | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Year | Player | Rec | Yards | Avg | TD | PPR |
| 2019 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 116 | 1,005 | 8.7 | 4 | 240.5 |
| 2019 | Austin Ekeler, LAC | 92 | 993 | 10.8 | 8 | 239.3 |
| 2018 | Christian McCaffrey, Car. | 107 | 867 | 8.1 | 6 | 229.7 |
| 1985 | Roger Craig, S.F. | 92 | 1,016 | 11.0 | 6 | 229.6 |
| 1985 | Lionel James, S.D. | 86 | 1,027 | 11.9 | 6 | 224.7 |
| 1999 | Marshall Faulk, St.L. | 87 | 1,048 | 12.1 | 5 | 221.8 |
| 1996 | Larry Centers, Ariz. | 99 | 766 | 7.7 | 7 | 217.6 |
| 1986 | Gary Anderson, S.D. | 80 | 871 | 10.9 | 8 | 215.1 |
| 2001 | Marshall Faulk, St.L. | 83 | 765 | 9.2 | 9 | 213.5 |
| 2000 | Marshall Faulk, St.L. | 81 | 830 | 10.3 | 8 | 212.0 |
| 1995 | Larry Centers, Ariz. | 101 | 962 | 9.5 | 2 | 209.2 |
| 2002 | Charlie Garner, Oak. | 91 | 941 | 10.3 | 4 | 209.1 |
| 2014 | Matt Forte, Chi. | 102 | 808 | 7.9 | 4 | 206.8 |
| 2018 | James White, N.E. | 87 | 751 | 8.6 | 7 | 204.1 |
| 1998 | Marshall Faulk, Ind. | 86 | 908 | 10.6 | 4 | 200.8 |
| 2011 | Darren Sproles, N.O. | 86 | 710 | 8.3 | 7 | 199.0 |
| 2007 | Brian Westbrook, Phil. | 90 | 771 | 8.6 | 5 | 197.1 |
| 2003 | LaDainian Tomlinson, S.D. | 100 | 725 | 7.3 | 4 | 196.5 |
| 1975 | Chuck Foreman, Min. | 73 | 691 | 9.5 | 9 | 196.1 |
| 2017 | Alvin Kamara, N.O. | 81 | 826 | 10.2 | 5 | 193.6 |
Note: The Chargers are well represented on this list, with three other running backs – Lionel James, Gary Anderson and LaDainian Tomlinson. I also see Darren Sproles, who started his career there, and Marshall Faulk (four times) who played his college ball at San Diego State.
—Ian Allan