The 2024 free agent class is set to feature a number of high-profile running backs. Austin Ekeler is likely to be one of them with his Chargers deal about to expire.

Ekeler is expected to reach the open market, ESPN’s Adam Schefter reports. That comes as no surprise given the nature of Ekeler’s 2023 offseason, one in which he asked for an was granted permission to seek a trade. He will have the ability to depart the organization he has spent his entire career with, although the plethora of accomplished backs who will also be available will no doubt limit his value.

None of the three running backs who received the franchise tag last year (Saquon Barkley, Josh Jacobs, Tony Pollard) are expected to be tagged a second time. No member of that trio performed at a level in 2023 which would make them an obvious candidate for a long-term deal, something which has no doubt informed their respective teams’ hesitancy to make a lucrative commitment. Schefter confirms that Titans stalwart Derrick Henry is also expected to reach free agency, something which was foreshadowed throughout the campaign.

Ekeler sought out a raise on a new Chargers deal, and his inability to land one led to his trade request. No suitors emerged, and he ultimately remained in Los Angeles on a re-worked contract. The two-time NFL leader in total touchdowns thus set himself up for free agency, while being a vocal member of the league’s running backs who have aired their frustrations over the stagnant nature of the position’s market. In an era where a number of positions have seen surging values, the RB spot has flatlined.

The 2023 campaign was an important one for Ekeler given his status as a pending free agent. The 28-year-old was limited to 14 games, however, and he was less efficient when on the field (3.5 yards per carry) than any other season in his career. After scoring 38 total touchdowns from 2021-22, Ekeler managed only six as part of a Chargers offense which struggled across the board but especially in the ground game.

While then-head coach Brandon Staley hinted at a divvying up of running back opportunities late in the campaign, Ekeler averaged 12.8 carries per game in 2023. That falls in line with his usage rate of the past four seasons, which has seen his career carries total reach 990. Many backs at his age have more mileage on them, but last season’s struggles will still likely be a key factor working against him on the open market.

The former UDFA landed a four-year, $24.5MM deal in 2020. That $6.13MM AAV ranks 11th in the league amongst running backs, and Ekeler will likely be hard-pressed to improve on his standing in the position’s pecking order on his new deal, regardless of where it comes from. Chargers backup Joshua Kelley is also a pending free agent, so the team could see significant turnover at the RB spot in the near future.

The Chargers’ offense has struggled to find an effective run-pass balance this season despite the team’s decision to retain running back Austin Ekeler. The contract-year back has not had a productive campaign though, and a change in workload could be coming.

Ekeler requested a trade this offseason, one in which the running back position saw its market value continue to dwindle. No suitors emerged, and the 28-year-old agreed to an adjusted contract which included performance-based incentives. That set him up for free agency in 2024, and put pressure on him to deliver a strong season in advance of hitting the open market.

Instead, the former UDFA has struggled. After leading the league in total touchdowns each of the past two seasons, Ekeler has only found the end zone five times in 2023. His yards per carry average sits at 3.5, the lowest of his career. With the Chargers averaging just 98 yards per game on the ground, a shift to more of a committee approach could be on the horizon.

“Competition for carries is going to be something that you can see happening,” head coach Brandon Staley said when speaking on the subject, via ESPN’s Kris Rhim. “We’re going to keep exploring, making adjustments, so that we can find that rhythm that I’ve been talking about. That’s certainly one way to do it.”

Ekeler has averaged 14 carries per game, the most of his career. His 126 attempts comfortably leads the team, though backup Joshua Kelley has received 94 totes. The latter is thus on pace to set a new career-high in usage, and he would represent the likeliest candidate to see an increased workload in the coming weeks if a change does take place. Like Ekeler, Kelley is a pending free agent.

Still, the former should be counted on as a focal point of the Chargers’ offense, a unit which has dealt with injuries at the receiver position. The impending return of Josh Palmer will help in that regard, but a late playoff push would be greatly boosted by a return to form on Ekeler’s part. He still has a degree of confidence from the coaching staff based on Staley’s remarks.

“We know that Austin is a good running back,” Staley added. “We just haven’t found any rhythm in the last couple of weeks in the run game. Just need to keep after it and keep working hard in practice.”

For the first time since the regular season opener, the Chargers will have their top running back available. Austin Ekeler is off the team’s Week 6 injury report, meaning he will suit up on Monday night.

Ekeler suffered an ankle injury in Week 1, leading to his first stretch of missed games since 2021. His absence dealt a blow to the Chargers’ ground game and left the team’s offense without one of its most important contributors. Especially with wideout Mike Williams out for the year, Ekeler’s pass-catching prowess will be welcomed as Los Angeles looks to come off the bye with a strong performance.

Despite missing the past three games, Ekeler is still the team’s second-leading rusher with 117 yards. That illustrates the significance of his return, though backup Joshua Kelley has had noteworthy games as a first-teamer as well. As a result, the Chargers sit in the middle of the pack with respect to rushing yards per game (120). That figure nevertheless has the potential to increase with Ekeler back in the fold.

The 28-year-old had a contentions offseason as he sought out a raise from his existing pact, which is set to expire in March. Ekeler’s 39 total touchdowns since the start of the 2021 campaign lead the league, and he has surpassed 1,500 scrimmage yards three times since 2019. No serious trade suitors emerged after his request to be moved went public, though, and he ultimately agreed to a reworked pact which upped his potential earnings for this season.

Ekeler’s incentives are tied to a Pro Bowl nod along with yardage and touchdown benchmarks. Reaching them will be more difficult given his missed time, but he will resume his endeavor to land a lucrative new contract in 2024 free agency – and in doing so buck the trend at the running back spot – against the Cowboys in primetime. How much of a workload he handles (and the effects on Kelley’s playing time and that of the team’s other complimentary backs) in his return will be interesting to see.