Entering the 2024 offseason, the Commanders waved goodbye to Antonio Gibson as he headed to the Patriots. It didn’t just leave a gap in the backfield, but a missing heartbeat of veteran leadership… And a rookie quarterback in need of guidance. They went searching for someone who could steady the ship and still keep Brian Robinson Jr. rolling. Enter Austin Ekeler on a two-year deal, a ‘Swiss-army-knife’ back with a résumé that sells itself. The analysts lit up. The ‘Footballguy’ Jason Wood suggested “Ekeler getting rotational RB2 money,” and Kay Adams called him “an absolute steal.” So, now, it was about right that Ekeler sat for an all-exclusive interview with EssentiallySports. He sat down with our host, Andrew Whitlaw, to shed light on his chemistry with Jayden Daniels and the art of mentoring a rookie as a nine-year pro.

Heading into 2024, the bar was already set high for the veteran back. The reasons seem palpable: he was coming off a down year with just 1,064 scrimmage yards, swapping Justin Herbert for rookie QB Daniels, and most importantly, he was expected to be Daniels’ on-field mentor. Did he succeed? Absolutely. He stood out in the OTAs and camp for his versatility. And you could feel, Daniels noticed. “Very savvy in the pass game. Knows how to get open. Can catch the ball naturally. And just picking his brain and just be able to communicate,” the QB said. “Everybody knows his background and his story of how he got here… He had to work and earn everything. He has that approach every day.”

So, in an exclusive interview with EssentiallySports, when Andrew asked about his approach to mentoring a talented quarterback like JD, Ekeler responded honestly. The 30-year-old back initially highlighted his personal chemistry with Daniels rather than directly jumping to his professional relationship with the second-year quarterback. “Yeah, you know, it comes in little bits and pieces, um, when needed,” Ekeler said. “Kind of what does he seem to, you know, kind of gravitate towards as far as plays… As far as you know, who he likes to talk to in the room because there’s 90 of us.”

Ekeler continued: “There are a lot of guys. S,o not everyone can give everyone tips because not everyone really meshes like that. Like you got to make sure that you’re actually in that type of position where you have the respect from one another that you can actually give those tips.” Well, if we take a look at it from Austin’s perspective, that’s understandable. Signed as an undrafted free agent by the Chargers following the 2017 NFL draft, Ekeler spent his first seven seasons in LA.

And when Herbert arrived, he definitely became one of his go-to guys for four straight seasons. During that time, he rushed for over 900 yards in a couple of seasons. So, when he switched from powder blues to burgundy and gold, you could feel how he managed to mingle with his fellow teammates. As he himself said, there were 90 players, and one just can’t give tips to everyone. And the first time he and Daniels crossed paths, the QB and RB wasted no time. Straight into football talk as the vet started mentoring the young QB. “For me and Jayden, you know, with him, it’s a lot of the time we’re talking about like strategy, we’re talking about the running back things,” Ekeler added.

“And for us, it’s pretty simple. We’re in the back field. We’re right next to each other. So, we can talk all the time on the field. So, there’s not really a lot of disconnect and what he’s expecting from us as running backs. Um, and then just being a good teammate is another one. You know, leading by example as a guy that’s been playing in the year for nine years now. Kind of showing how I’m a pro. And it’s not only for him. But all the other young guys as well.”

Though Austin Ekeler’s debut season in Washington may have been cut short by multiple concussions, there’s no denying he was a big help to Jayden Daniels in his rookie year. In contrast, Ekeler could only record 733 scrimmage yards due to injuries, sure. Daniels, on the other hand, led the Commanders to their best season record (12-5) since 1991 and recorded over 3,500 receiving yards and 891 yards on the ground. And yes, he also grabbed the Offensive Rookie of the Year honors. However, when asked who is better between Daniels and Herbert… well, Ekeler had a blunt response.

Jayden Daniels vs. Justin Hebert: Who’s better according to Austin Ekeler?

Following a standout rookie season, there’s no doubt Jayden Daniels has earned respect from his fellow teammates, young and veterans alike. And Austin Ekeler is one of them. However, there’s a twist to this story. The thing is, Ekeler played with the Chargers for seven seasons and had Justin Herbert as a productive quarterback. So, when Matt King asked him to pick between the two, one could feel that Ekeler was in a bit of a pickle. But the RB highlighted the strength of both the QBs.

“I think Jayden is more dynamic, just his running ability,” he said during the all-exclusive ES interview. “So, it gives him a little bit more of a factor to take over the game, where if nothing’s there, he can still go make guys miss, and he’s still flying down the field. Where I think Justin relies a little bit more on his arm and the players around him. But can still obviously take over. But it’s just in a different way, more of like a Joe Burrow type of way, you got to get down with your arm type of thing.”

That said, Jayden Daniels is now expected to take a more responsible role as he enters the second season of his career. And Ekeler? Well, he suffered a couple of concussion hits in the last season, sure. His season was limited to just 367 rushing and 366 receiving yards, no denying that. But expect the ninth-year running back to bounce back in his second season with the Commanders.