Commanders placed Austin Ekeler on IR, released 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes

The Washington Chiefs returned Austin Ekeler to injured reserve following Saturday’s accident. He will miss at least four weeks, starting with the Commanders’ game on Sunday against the Tennessee Titans.

Ekeler collapsed in the final minute of the Week 12 loss to the Dallas Cowboys and was taken to the hospital for further evaluation. The 29-year-old was returning a kickoff with 9 seconds left when he faced Dallas linebackers Damone Clark and Nick Vigil. He sat down after rolling for several minutes and was eventually taken off the field with the help of the training staff.

In his first season with the Commanders, Ekeler has 74 carries for 355 yards and four touchdowns. The team’s leading rusher, Brian Robinson Jr., is expected to play Sunday after leaving the game against Dallas with an ankle injury. Backups Jeremy McNichols and Chris Rodriguez Jr. will also be available.

The Commanders also released 2023 first-round pick Emmanuel Forbes on Saturday, cutting ties with another top draft pick in the previous administration.

All of former coach Ron Rivera’s starters — including rusher Chase Young in 2020, linebacker Jamin Davis in ’21 and wide receiver Jahan Dotson in ’22 — are now gone. Forbes hasn’t shown much progress in the new staff led by coach Dan Quinn and has been healthy twice this season and has not played in the other two games the 23-year-old has been in uniform.

It’s unclear if Forbes’ release says anything about the status of linebacker Marshon Lattimore, the Commander’s trade deadline pickup in early November who has been sidelined with a hamstring injury. Lattimore was listed as questionable on Sunday.

Washington (7-5) has lost three in a row to fall from first place in the NFC East to the final spot in the conference’s wildcards. The most recent loss, last weekend against rival Dallas, came when Austin Seibert missed his second extra point of the game, which would have tied it with 21 seconds left.

Seibert went on IR earlier in the week with a groin injury that Quinn said the kicker reported Monday. They promoted kicker Zane Gonzalez and defensive end Carl Davis to the practice squad in preparation for the Titans (3-8).

While injuries have piled up as the Chiefs await their bye week, Forbes’ selection has been given second thoughts since Rivera’s front office selected the 166-pound defensive end from Mississippi State with the 16th pick over Christian Gonzalez and others. Gonzalez was the next pick, by New England, and has started 16 games for the Patriots.

Forbes was benched last season by Rivera, who was in charge when Washington selected Davis ahead of offensive lineman Christian Darrisaw in ’21 and traded for Dotson the following year instead of safety Kyle Hamilton or receiver Chris Olave. Forbes has two interceptions and 12 passes defended in 20 games.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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