It’s been a while since we saw J.K. Dobbins on the field, let alone at the peak of his powers. Dobbins tore his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season, then missed the remainder of the year. He sat on the open market beyond the first several weeks of free agency before the Los Angeles Chargers finally signed him shortly before the 2024 NFL Draft.
But despite the fact that he is working back from a torn Achilles and has both an ACL tear and a second knee surgery in his recent past, Dobbins has high hopes for himself this season in L.A.
“I do think if I get the volume, I’ll be one of the best in the league,” Dobbins said, via ESPN. “I’ve shown that. Y’all know how much yards I averaged per carry?”
Dobbins has a career average of 5.8 yards per carry, albeit on only 234 totes across his 24 games in four NFL seasons. He has just 100 total carries since 2020, including only 8 for 22 yards last year. His 5.8 yards-per-carry average is indeed one of the highest in recent NFL history, but again, we haven’t actually seen him do that in quite a while.
However, Dobbins feels like he’s healthy enough to get back to that level.
“I feel like I’m in college out there right now,” he said. “And I do think that the storm is over. Now I’m on a new journey, a healthy journey this year. You guys will see — it’ll be special.”
Dobbins has reunited in L.A. with his former Ravens offensive coordinator, Greg Roman, who led the offense during Dobbins’ rookie season, when he had 134 carries for 805 yards and nine touchdowns. Also there with them is former Ravens running back Gus Edwards who, like Dobbins, is rehabbing from surgery. The Chargers also drafted Kimani Vidal in the sixth round of this year’s draft.
Dobbins got just a one-year, $1.6 million deal with only $50,000 in guarantees, while Edwards got two years, $6.5 million and $3.375 million guaranteed, so it certainly seems like the Chargers are expecting Edwards to be ahead of Dobbins in whatever rotation they use. But Edwards is also four years older than Dobbins, and at an age where running backs typically begin to slow down. If he can stay healthy and recapture the efficiency he showed early in his career, there is an opportunity for Dobbins to take the job and run with it. But staying healthy is something he hasn’t been able to do in four years, so it’s easier said than done.
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Author: Jared Dubin
July 26, 2024 | 9:35 am
