Austin Ekeler injury: Commanders RB knocked out on scary hit in closing seconds vs. Cowboys
Washington Commanders running back Austin Ekeler suffered an injury after taking a hard hit during a kick return on Sunday when the team took on the Dallas Cowboys. He was on the ground for several minutes before walking off the field.
The incident occurred late in the fourth quarter after the Cowboys scored a touchdown on a kick return to seal the victory. Before that play, it looked as if the Commanders would tie the game after scoring a touchdown to cut the Cowboys lead 27-26, but kicker Austin Seibert missed the extra point.
There wasn’t an immediate update on Ekeler after he suffered the apparent head injury. In the 34-26 loss to the Cowboys, the veteran running back finished with nine carries on 22 yards and two catches for two yards. Before playing in Sunday’s game, Ekeler rushed for 333 yards and four touchdowns on 65 carries and caught 31 passes for 344 yards in 10 games. Earlier in the season, Ekeler suffered a concussion in the Monday Night Football game against the Cincinnati Bengals and sat out the following week against the Arizona Cardinals.
Ekeler signed a two-year contract with Washington after spending seven seasons with the Los Angeles Chargers. During his time in Los Angeles, the 29-year-old registered over 1,000 yards from scrimmage in four of the last five years.
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Austin Ekeler praises Jayden Daniels ahead of 2024 season
During the summer, Ekeler spoke to NBC 4 Sports in Washington D.C. about how impressed he is with rookie quarterback Jayden Daniels. “Super proud of him and how he’s been handling himself,” Ekeler said, per Athlon Sports. “It’s always hard for rookies to come in and lead right away, just because they’re trying to gain the respect of the team and trying to find their way. But he’s been showing signs of getting that.
“For example, we’ve been running a lot of choice routes, moving me around. He’s been talking to me after the play ‘Hey, what did you see on this?’, and that’s exactly what I want to hear from the quarterback.”