Here’s the good news for the Commanders: Austin Ekeler feels like he is trending towards playing on Sunday when they host the Browns.
“I’m continuing to complete the processes of concussion protocol and working my way through, but I'm feeling like myself, more with it today, so that's all a good sign to hopefully getting back this week,” Ekeler told Grant & Danny Tuesday, back in his weekly spot after last week’s delay due to the concussion. “Tracking towards being able to play, and that's a good sign, especially when you're talking about your head. You want to make sure everything is how it's supposed to be; it’s not like an ankle where you can put some tape on it, this is my brain I'm talking about, so I wanna make sure everything is feeling and reacting normal and is where it's supposed to be, and things are definitely trending in that direction.”
Here’s the BETTER news: the team enters that game 3-1, and Jeremy McNichols, the guy who replaced Ekeler, went beast mode as it was just next man up in a 42-14 win over the Cardinals.
“We have a lot of playmakers on the offense, so if I'm not there, we lose one player, but look, we got a lot more guys that are showing up and doing the thing,” Ekeler said. “Obviously, Jayden's doing his thing, Terry looks good and is coming alive, and so on and so forth. They took care of business, and I’m glad to be back with them.”
Ekeler did not like watching the Cardinals game away from the team – “I had so much anxiety, I felt helpless!” – so even if he doesn’t play Sunday, at least being there will make him feel better…and probably his wife, too, who got to hear the insider insight as they watched a blowout win Sunday.
“I think it was a collective of small things; really, it was the lack of mistakes, like the ball was getting to the right places and guys were in the right spots on the right timing. That comes down to play calling as well, but other than the interception, it was really good, solid fundamental football,” Ekeler said. “There wasn’t a ton of huge plays, just chipping away down the field, converting on third downs, a good mix of run and pass and Jayden moving with his feet as well. All of these small little things that don't seem very tough, but are tough with the NFL to stay consistent with that, we’re really connecting with our team and multiple players all over the place. A really good, dominant team win.”
It seems as if Kliff Kingsbury has done a great job tailoring his offense to Jayden Daniels’ strengths while also trying to develop him, and yeah, this is something even Ekeler hasn’t seen in nearly a decade in the league.
“I think what Kliff does a good job of, that I've never done anywhere else, is we have so many walk-throughs, and so many times to practice being in different positions. We probably do it 15 times a week, so you get comfortable with your responsibilities,” Ekeler said. “We get comfortable in running these plays that we have drawn up for the week, which allows us to go out there and play fast. So to the viewers, it looks like we're all over the place, but for us, it's just we're running that one specific play that I've already run 30 times this week.”
But if he does come back, will Ekeler be tentative, or will he be ready to go right out of the gate?
“During practice, we try not to hit each other as much as we can, because we wanna save our bodies for the game just because it is so intense. You don't really get that full contact hit in practice, so that's what I would say is what gets me ready to go,” Ekeler said. “That first pop in a game, whether I’m injured or not – that first hit, you know, is that kind of like a wake-up, like it almost like jolts more adrenaline through your body. I feel like you come alive, in a sense, like you feel rejuvenated in a weird, twisted way. Your body's now alert to go and, you know, have more car wrecks, basically. So that’s what I would say (will make him feel like he’s back).”
Take a listen to Ekeler’s entire visit above!