How can Washington’s offense improve despite the losses of Austin Ekeler and Noah Brown?

With Washington entering its final four games of the regular season, how does an already top-tier offense maintain its potency without two of their top contributors?

With the Washington Commanders having the season like they are in Dan Quinn’s first year, winning has come with good luck, health-wise. Specifically, with limited depth at critical positions, Washington’s success this year is mostly contingent upon good health for its star players. While Washington is still in good shape overall, their offense has a new set of challenges coming out of the bye week with the indefinite losses of Austin Ekeler and Noah Brown.

Let’s paint the picture for the people: Noah Brown’s 56 targets were second on the team at the wide receiver position. He was also a chain mover, converting 21 of his catches for first downs, which is third on the team behind Terry McLaurin and Zach Ertz. Per John Keim in his podcast, “The John Keim Report,” John Keim was told that defenses game planned more for Brown than McLaurin because he was the most versatile in the offense from an alignment, route running, and blocking standpoint. He does a lot for any offense he is involved with, and unfortunately, Washington has officially lost Brown, possibly for the remainder of the season.

Austin Ekeler was third on the team behind Brian Robinson Jr. and Jayden Daniels in touches, and his 6.6 yards per touch led the running backs position.

What Ekeler provided for Washington is what they now lack at the running back position with his loss. Ekeler has reliable hands, which is no different than Brian Robinson Jr. or Jeremy McNichols, but his route running poses a threat, as well as where Kliff Kingsbury can align him on the field to give the offense an advantage. Further, Ekeler is an explosive slasher-style back with outstanding contact balance that generated just as many missed tackles as Robinson, despite the size difference. He was also the leading kick returner and had flipped the field multiple times this season.

All of this is to say that Washington has lost two key playmakers they could not afford to lose.

The season goes on, though, and Kingsbury and Jayden Daniels must adapt to the long-term changes that await the offense starting this upcoming Sunday against the New Orleans Saints. Granted, this is an elite offensive unit we’re talking about, so it may not be a massive lift for Kingsbury when it is all said and done. However, with Washington entering its final four games of the regular season, how does an already top-tier offense maintain its potency without two of their top contributors?

With the loss of Brown, the Commanders already moved to acquire a receiver, claiming K.J. Osborn off waivers from the New England Patriots. Don’t expect Osborn to be an instant contributor, though, as he’ll need time to adjust to Washington’s offense. The onus will be on Kingsbury to generate explosive plays using Dyami Brown and Luke McCaffrey. 14 of Brown’s 20 receptions have come on screens and flat routes. He’s had three explosive targets, connecting on just one, a 41-yard touchdown catch against the Cleveland Browns in week five. Brown’s primary route usage comes on Gos and hitches, but he has not been a primary read in the offense to this point. Kingsbury can take advantage of Brown moving forward when he is isolated in 1-on-1 coverage downfield to open the offense up.

McCaffrey has 15 receptions on the season, and many argue that he should have way more, given the amount of separation he has created over his rookie season. McCaffrey’s intensity as a route runner is unmatched; he is a competitor in all phases of the route and deserves to be awarded for his efforts as a receiver and run blocker. Against the Philadelphia Eagles and Dallas Cowboys, McCaffrey saw his season low in snap counts with 20 and 18, respectively. His snap counts appeared to be trending downward before the Tennessee Titans game, where he had 24 snaps, though Brown was injured and removed from the game. Regardless of the truth about the possible downward trend in his snap count, Brown is injured, and McCaffrey may begin seeing a short-term rise in his snap count again. He has been most effective on intermediate routes, creating separation on Digs and Corners; it is imperative for McCaffrey to perform at his highest while also taking advantage of the opportunities that Daniels will provide to him.

A sleeper includes Olamide Zacchaeus’ effectiveness in this offense in some instances. He has also been a top chain-mover for the offense and is third on the team in targets.

Washington cannot replace Ekeler’s loss solely from the backfield, but Washington’s next best thing from an explosiveness standpoint comes from second-year running back Chris Rodriguez Jr. His initial burst is explosive and has generated seven missed tackles in a limited time on the field. From a passing standpoint, McCaffrey and Zaccheus, of all the wideouts, have spent the most time in the backfield for Washington. While each has primarily run routes toward the sideline, we could begin seeing Kingsbury change the tendencies with routes more centered toward the middle of the field or up the seam.

What do you think? How can the Commanders offense compensate for the losses of Ekeler and Brown? Let us know in the comments.