Austin Ekeler Bio
Austin Ekeler is an American professional football running back for the Washington Commanders of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Western Colorado Mountaineers, finishing as their all-time leader in rushing yards before signing with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent in 2017. With the Chargers, Ekeler led the NFL in touchdowns for the 2021 and 2022 seasons.
Early Life and Background
Austin Ekeler was born on May 17, 1995, in Lincoln, Nebraska. He attended Eaton High School in Eaton, Colorado, where he played high school football for the Fightin’ Reds. Standing only 5 feet 5 inches as a freshman, he finished his high school career with 5,232 rushing yards and 71 touchdowns on 561 carries, averaging 9.15 yards per carry, while adding 581 receiving yards and 10 receiving scores.
Despite his production, Ekeler was a zero-star recruit with little interest from Division I programs. Wyoming recruited him but never offered a scholarship, while Adams State, Chadron State, and Oklahoma Panhandle State offered only on the defensive side of the ball. Western Colorado was the only school that offered him a chance to stay at running back, shaping the next stage of his career.
Path to the NFL
Ekeler played college football at Western Colorado from 2013 to 2016 and left as the program’s all-time leader in rushing yards. As a freshman he started nine games and led the team with 1,049 rushing yards and seven rushing touchdowns, earning RMAC Offensive Freshman of the Year honors. He was named first-team All-RMAC four times across his college career.
As a sophomore he set school records with 1,676 rushing yards and 2,093 all-purpose yards, and as a junior he led NCAA Division II in all-purpose yards per game with 203.9 and in scoring at 12.6 points per game. His senior season added 1,495 rushing yards and 15 rushing touchdowns, cementing his status as one of the most productive small-school running backs in the country. He signed with the Los Angeles Chargers as an undrafted free agent after the 2017 NFL draft on a three-year, $1.66 million contract.
Austin Ekeler Career
Early Career (2017–2018)
Ekeler made his NFL debut in the 2017 season opener against the Denver Broncos on Monday Night Football, recording two receptions for 18 yards. In Week 4 against the Philadelphia Eagles, he scored his first career touchdown on a 35-yard rush, which was also his first NFL carry. He finished his rookie year with 260 rushing yards, two rushing touchdowns, 27 receptions, 279 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns.
In his second season, Ekeler posted 554 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 39 receptions, 404 receiving yards, and three receiving touchdowns. He helped the Chargers earn the number-five seed in the AFC Playoffs, contributing 43 scrimmage yards in the Wild Card win over the Baltimore Ravens and three receptions for 19 yards in the Divisional Round loss to the New England Patriots.
Los Angeles Chargers Breakthrough (2019–2022)
Ekeler opened 2019 as the starting running back while Melvin Gordon held out, and he delivered 58 rushing yards, the game-winning touchdown, and 96 receiving yards with two scores in the Week 1 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts. In Week 14 against the Jacksonville Jaguars he finished with 101 rushing yards on eight carries, 112 receiving yards, and a touchdown, becoming the first player since Herschel Walker in 1986 to average over 10 yards per carry and reception in a 100/100 game. He closed the year with 557 rushing yards, three rushing touchdowns, 92 receptions, 993 receiving yards, and eight receiving touchdowns.
On March 16, 2020, Ekeler signed a four-year, $24.5 million contract extension with the Chargers. A hamstring injury and hyperextended knee in Week 4 limited him to 11 games, but he still totaled 530 rushing yards and 403 receiving yards. In 2021 he set career highs with 206 carries for 911 rushing yards, 12 rushing touchdowns, 70 receptions, 647 receiving yards, and eight receiving touchdowns, tying Jonathan Taylor for the league lead with 20 total touchdowns. That placed him alongside Hall of Famer LaDainian Tomlinson as the only Chargers ever to score at least 20 touchdowns in a single season.
Ekeler built on that production in 2022, posting new career highs with 204 carries for 915 rushing yards, 13 rushing touchdowns, 107 receptions, 722 receiving yards, and five receiving touchdowns, while leading the league in total touchdowns for a second consecutive year with 18. He joined Marshall Faulk as the only players in NFL history with at least 10 rushing touchdowns and at least five receiving touchdowns in back-to-back seasons, and he earned AFC Offensive Player of the Week after a Week 17 performance that included a career-long 72-yard run. He was voted 21st on the NFL Top 100 Players of 2023.
Washington Commanders Era (2024–Present)
Ekeler signed a two-year contract with the Washington Commanders on March 18, 2024. He suffered a concussion in a Week 3 Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals and a second concussion in Week 12 against the Dallas Cowboys that sent him to injured reserve. He finished 2024 with 77 carries for 367 rushing yards, four rushing touchdowns, 35 receptions, and 366 receiving yards, while adding 594 kickoff return yards on 19 returns at 31.3 yards per return, earning Second-team All-Pro honors as a kick returner for his first All-Pro selection.
In the second game of the 2025 season, Ekeler suffered a non-contact Achilles tear against the Green Bay Packers on Thursday Night Football and was carted off the field. He was ruled out for the remainder of the season on September 15, 2025, finishing the year with 43 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards.
Driving Style and Strengths
Ekeler built his reputation on receiving production out of the backfield, consistently ranking among the league leaders in catches and receiving yards while maintaining a yards-per-carry average near 4.4. His quickness in space, ability to line up as a wide receiver, and reliability in the screen game made him a featured third-down weapon, and his kickoff return role in 2024 added a special-teams dimension that earned him All-Pro recognition.
Notable Events and Milestones
Among his signature accomplishments, Ekeler scored 20 total touchdowns in 2021 to tie for the league lead and join LaDainian Tomlinson in the Chargers record book. He matched Marshall Faulk’s NFL mark of double-digit rushing and receiving touchdowns in consecutive seasons, recorded a career-long 72-yard run against the Los Angeles Rams in 2022, and earned his first All-Pro nod as a kick returner in 2024.
Austin Ekeler Career Wins
Austin Ekeler’s NFL career is defined more by statistical production and touchdown totals than by win totals, but he has produced several signature victories. Across his career he has accumulated 4,765 rushing yards, 43 rushing touchdowns, 480 receptions, 4,288 receiving yards, and 30 receiving touchdowns.
Los Angeles Chargers Highlights
During his Chargers tenure, Ekeler scored 20 total touchdowns in 2021 and 18 in 2022, leading the league both years, and delivered multiple multi-touchdown games including two rushing scores in a 2022 Wild Card loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars. His first career touchdown came on a 35-yard rush against the Philadelphia Eagles in 2017, and his Week 1 overtime win over the Indianapolis Colts in 2019 established him as a lead back.
Other Wins and Performances
At Western Colorado, Ekeler was a four-time first-team All-RMAC selection and the school’s all-time leading rusher, capping his college career with a 1,495-yard, 15-touchdown senior season that earned him an undrafted free agent deal with the Chargers.
Austin Ekeler Family
Family Background and Racing Lineage
Ekeler’s mother, Suzanne Ekeler, played college basketball at the University of Colorado, Colorado Springs, giving the family a multi-sport athletic background. His younger brother, Wyett Ekeler, played football at the University of Wyoming and is a defensive back for the Indianapolis Colts. Austin’s biological father left the family at a young age and is currently serving a life sentence in a Nevada maximum security prison.
Personal Life
Austin Ekeler married Melanie Wilking on May 25, 2024. The couple welcomed their first child, a son, on May 18, 2026. Ekeler also established the Austin Ekeler Foundation in 2021 with a mission to help create opportunities for people to fulfill their passions, and he founded the Gridiron Gaming Group the same year to help sports personalities grow their online communities through livestreaming.
2025 Season Performance
Ekeler entered the 2025 season with the Washington Commanders on a two-year contract signed in March 2024. His campaign was cut short in Week 2 against the Green Bay Packers, when a non-contact Achilles tear forced him off the field on a cart and ended his year. He finished the season with 43 rushing yards and 38 receiving yards.
The injury kept Ekeler on injured reserve for the remainder of the schedule and added uncertainty around his role and recovery timeline heading into the next league year. Coming off a 2024 campaign that included 594 kickoff return yards and his first Second-team All-Pro selection as a returner, his recovery outlook will shape how the Commanders deploy their backfield and return game.
With his contract running through 2026, Ekeler will look to return to full health and recapture the receiving-game form that produced back-to-back league touchdown titles in 2021 and 2022. His blend of pass-catching and special-teams value remains a clear asset if he regains his conditioning.
