Will Austin Ekeler play in Week 1 vs the Washington Football Team?

Austin Ekeler is one of the best dual-threat running backs in the NFL. Very few NFL players can make defenders miss after a catch to the ability Ekeler does. Ekeler's shiftiness and speed make him tricky to tackle.

Ekeler burst onto the scene in 2017 averaging 5.5 yards per carry in a limited sample size. Since then he's become one of the top pass-catching backs in the league.

However, durability has always been his weakness. He's often banged up with an injury and missed six games with a hamstring injury in 2020. The issue followed him into this season, begging the question: will he be ready to play in Week 1?

Most yards after the catch since 2019:🥇 Austin Ekeler - 1,432🥈 Alvin Kamara - 1,299🥉 Darren Waller - 1,188 pic.twitter.com/20sspaeJJB

— PFF (@PFF) September 8, 2021

Will Austin Ekeler play in Week 1 vs the Washington Football Team?

Ekeler's hamstring injury has caused him to miss some valuable practice time. He didn't play any snaps in the preseason. Then again, head coach Brandon Staley elected not to play most of his starters in the preseason.

Austin Ekeler didn't practice on Wednesday or Thursday this week. But on Friday, he returned in a limited capacity. He's officially labeled as questionable, but Staley gave an optimistic quote to the media that he's hopeful Ekeler can play Week 1. Their opponent, the Washington Football Team, is a tough opponent.

Brandon Staley said he expects Austin Ekeler to play Sunday: “He looked good out there. Optimistic for sure.” #Chargers

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) September 10, 2021

The Chargers need Ekeler against Washington's front seven

The Los Angeles Chargers will receive a test of their growth and maturity against an imposing Washington front seven. Although Washington was 15th in run defense, they were fifth in sacks per game. They're a unit that has the chance to be the most dominant defensive line in 2021.

Austin Ekeler's pass-catching ability would spread the defense out. Ekeler had a jaw dropping 92 receptions for 993 yards in 2019. But don't let that part of his game fool you. He's a polished runner between tackles as well.

The Chargers invested a lot of resources into their offensive line to make their running game better. Matt Feiler, Corey Linsley and Bryan Bulaga were all brought in to help with a weakness the Chargers had in 2020. The Chargers will look to balance the pass and run in 2021 under new offensive coordinator Joe Lombardi.

New #Chargers OC Joe Lombardi on his run-pass philosophy: "There's got be a balance." Mentions an old adage a high school coach taught him: "You pass to score and run to win."

— Daniel Popper (@danielrpopper) January 26, 2021

If something changes and Austin Ekeler isn't able to go, the Chargers will turn to Justin Jackson and Joshua Kelley. Their chances of winning wouldn't be as high, as Ekeler presents a mismatch for every NFL defense. Ekeler will need to have a bounce-back season in 2021.

Kickoff time against the Washington Football Team is 1 pm ET.