Austin Ekeler got it done on screen passes in 2019

Through his first three seasons as a professional, Austin Ekeler has been one of the premiere receiving threats in the entire NFL. Per Pro Football Focus, there were only two running backs in the NFL to record over 200 yards receiving off of screen passes in 2019: the Vikings’ Dalvin Cook and Ekeler.

Even after seeing his snaps get cut into following the return of Melvin Gordon from his early-season holdout, Ekeler still managed to fall just three yards short of 1,000 yards receiving. THREE YARDS. Man, that was so frustrating to see.

A huge chunk of those 290 yards came on one big play during the team’s game at Jacksonville. The Chargers offensive line has actually been pretty respectable at getting out in front and plowing a path for their backs. This play was the perfect call against an aggressive blitz by the Jaguars and he made them pay.

In total, Ekeler was second in the NFL with 940 yards after the catch. While that may seem high compared to his 997 total receiving yards, the actual statistic takes into account the literal yards he runs for after the catch, not just the positive net yards he collects past the line of scrimmage.

While this is a great stat to see for your dual-threat running back, Chargers fans can feel satisfied knowing that Ekeler is so much more than just a recipient of screens and check downs. He’s also one of the best down-field receivers at the position, having scored on multiple streaks and other deep routes over the past two seasons.

Here’s a “stop-and-go” route that he uses to easily beat a Titans linebacker in 2019.

In the end, I’m telling all of you essentially things you already know extremely well, that Ekeler is really good at this whole football thing and he’ll likely continue to be really good for awhile. You can’t ask for much more than that.