The Los Angeles Chargers are ushering in a new era in their backfield. In the wake of losing Austin Ekeler to the Commanders in free agency, the club already brought in veteran Gus Edwards and it appears they are in the market for another former Ravens back into the fold as well. The Chargers are scheduled to host J.K. Dobbins on a free agent visit on Thursday, according to ESPN.
Dobbins is coming off a torn Achilles he suffered in Week 1 of the 2023. However, the back’s surgeon, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, wrote a letter to NFL teams noting that Dobbins has been cleared for football activities and added that he’s looked “outstanding” in his recovery.
Injuries have been a major subject of Dobbins’ NFL story thus far. After a breakout rookie season in 2020, he suffered a torn ACL that erased his entire sophomore campaign. Then, Dobbins was hobbled by another knee injury that limited him to eight games in 2022. When you add on the Achilles tear in the opener last year, Dobbins has played in just 24 games over his first four years in the league.
All that said, Dobbins has been an impactful back when he has been on the field. During his rookie year, he rushed for 805 yards on a six yards per carry average to go along with nine touchdowns. Even in his limited action in 2022, Dobbins still averaged 5.7 yards per carry.
What makes the Chargers an interesting landing spot for Dobbins is that Greg Roman, his former offensive coordinator during his first three seasons with Baltimore, is now running the offense in L.A. as its OC under head coach Jim Harbaugh. That connection is likely a key reason why Edwards was brought out west and why Dobbins is getting a look by the Chargers as well.
On top of Edwards, the Chargers backfield currently consists of Isaiah Spiller, Elijah Dotson, and Jaret Patterson.
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Author: Tyler Sullivan
March 28, 2024 | 8:41 am
