The Baltimore Ravens running backs room is sure to be bolstered by the return of J.K. Dobbins. The Ravens selected Dobbins with the 55th pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. Attending Ohio State, Dobbins played three seasons with the Buckeyes. As a Buckeye, Dobbins became the first player in Ohio State history to rush for 1,000 yards as a freshman, sophomore, and junior. Dobbins, who was very accomplished at Ohio State, finished his career as the Buckeyes’ second-leading rusher of all time and also won the Earl Campbell Tyler Rose Award as the nation’s Offensive Player of the Year.
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Unfortunately, Dobbins has a lengthy injury history dating back to high school. In 2016, at La Grange High School, Dobbins missed his entire senior season with a broken fibula suffered in the season opener. Dobbins missed his senior season but was still a four-star recruit and was named a U.S. Army All-American. In Baltimore, Dobbins has shown to be a viable piece to the Ravens offense. When healthy, Dobbins is as productive as any running back in the league, proving his importance to the Baltimore Ravens.
J.K. Dobbins’ Importance to the Ravens
J.K. Dobbins is a valuable asset to the Baltimore Ravens. Dobbins has shown signs of being a promising running back and a potential staple of the Ravens offense. As a rookie in 2020, Dobbins played in 15 games, rushing for 850 yards and nine touchdowns. The 850 rushing yards were the second-most by a rookie in franchise history, and the nine touchdowns were a rookie record. Dobbins ended his rookie (regular) season with a six-game streak of 50-plus rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, which tied Eric Dickerson, Ryan Grant, and Franco Harris for the longest streak set by a rookie. Dobbins was able to help the Ravens make the playoffs in 2020, totaling 85 yards and one touchdown in two postseason games.
The only issue has been Dobbins’ inability to stay healthy. In a 2021 preseason game against the (then) Washington Football Team, Dobbins suffered a season-ending injury. Following the game, the Ravens announced that Dobbins suffered a torn ACL, LCL, meniscus, and hamstring. Not only was Dobbins’ future with the Ravens in jeopardy, his career was in question as well. Dobbins is a very resilient player because the narratives of ending his NFL career were never real to him. Dobbins fully recovered from his 2021 injuries in just one season. The following season, Dobbins did the unthinkable by returning just one year after injuring his entire right leg.
The Impact of Dobbins
Dobbins returned from injury in Week 3 of the 2022 season against the New England Patriots. After playing in four games and totaling 123 yards and one touchdown, Dobbins injured his right knee again. Lucky for the Ravens, running back Kenyan Drake was picking up the slack. After Dobbins underwent a cleanup procedure on the knee, he returned in Week 13. In Dobbins’ return, he rushed for 120 yards on 15 attempts. Dobbins looked as good as new. In Week 14, Dobbins rushed for 125 yards on 13 carries. In Weeks 15 and 16, Dobbins posted 59 and 93 rushing yards, hitting a late-season stride.
The Ravens went to the playoffs in 2022, losing to the Cincinnati Bengals in the Wild Card game. Dobbins played well, rushing for 62 yards and receiving for 43 yards. In 2023, the Ravens are eager to see if Dobbins can be a long-term option. As long as Dobbins is on the field, he is effective according to his history. When J.K. Dobbins plays, the Ravens have a better chance to win.
JK IS BACK‼️ pic.twitter.com/shPgHmNM4U
— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) August 14, 2023
Main Image: Sam Greene/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK
