J.k. Dobbins - Pro Football Rumors

Latest On Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins

June 30th, 2022 at 7:06pm CST by Ben Levine

J.K. Dobbins continues to make good progress on his torn ACL, but don’t expect him to be a full participant at training camp or preseason. Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic writes that the Ravens running back is “probably highly unlikely” to play during the preseason.

We heard previously that Dobbins would likely start training camp on PUP, and Zrebiec indicates that that’s still the plan. Dobbins tore his ACL last August, so he’s looking at about a year recovery before he’s ready to return to the field.

“The knee injuries are a little tougher to say what the schedule really is,” coach John Harbuagh said earlier this month (via Zrebiec). “So, you talk to J.K., he’s the starting running back today, (and) he should have been practicing today, but he’s got work to do still.”

Per Zrebiec, the organization continues to be confident that Dobbins will play a significant offensive role in 2022. However, the reporter also notes that there’s some “outside pessimism” about the running back’s ability to be a legitimate contributor next season. If the organization is just saving face and also shares similar fears, we could see Dobbins sidelined through the start of the regular season as the organization looks to maximize their late-season and postseason chances (although this is just my speculation).

The 2020 second-round pick had a productive rookie campaign, finishing with 925 yards from scrimmage and nine touchdowns. He formed a two-headed monster with fellow RB Gus Edwards, but Edwards also missed the 2021 campaign with a torn ACL. Both players will be looking toward a comeback season in 2022, but they’ll see some competition for reps from free agent acquisition Mike Davis. The Ravens are also rostering Tyler Badie, Ricky Person, Justice Hill, and Nate McCrary.

Ravens Notes: Stanley, Left Guard, Running Backs

June 18th, 2022 at 11:18am CST by Ben Levine

Ravens All-Pro left tackle Ronnie Stanley has only appeared in one game since injuring his ankle in November of 2020. Fortunately, it sounds like the lineman could soon be back on the field, as head coach John Harbaugh gave a positive on the lineman’s status.

“Ronnie’s ankle is looking great,” Harbaugh said (via Clifton Brown of the team’s website). “Ronnie’s mission right now will be to get in the best shape of his life and get ready to play football, and that’s what he’s working on.”

Stanley suffered a severe ankle injury during Week 8 of the 2020 season. He tried to return for the 2021 campaign, and after appearing in 100 percent of his team’s offensive snaps in Week 1, he ultimately decided to opt for more surgery. Prior to his injury, Stanley was among the top left tackles in the NFL, with Pro Football Focus consistently ranking him among the best at his position. The team’s primary goal is to have the veteran ready for Week 1, per Brown.

“I expect him to play like Ronnie Stanley,” Harbaugh added. “He’s really motivated to do it. Just talked to him again today. He’s chomping at the bit to get back. If he plays like Ronnie Stanley, and even better, than the significance is almost immeasurable. And that’s what we’re hoping for.”

More out of Baltimore…

Elsewhere on the offensive line, it sounds like Ben Cleveland and Tyre Phillips are competing for Baltimore’s starting left guard spot, per Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic. The writer believes Cleveland will be given every opportunity to win the job, although he’ll have to improve his ability to stay healthy and practice well. Meanwhile, Phillips has been forced to fill in at tackle over the past two years, but the coaching staff believes he has the skills to contribute at the position.
J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards didn’t see the field last season, but Harbaugh indicated that both of his RBs are trending in the right direction as they look to make their return. “You talk to J.K., he’s the starting running back today, he should’ve been practicing today,” Harbaugh said (via Brown). “But he’s got work to do still, so does Gus. But they’re both I think doing great. We’ll see how they look when they come back.”
The head coach also spoke highly of the team’s healthy running backs, a grouping that includes free agent addition Mike Davis and rookie sixth-round pick Tyler Badie. “[I’m] very positive about Mike Davis,” Harbaugh said. “He shows up as a veteran running back. [He’s] quick, has really good vision, and he’s always been a good receiving running back, but when you see it in person, it kind of opens your eyes. I’ll say, Tyler Badie, too, is a receiving running back. These guys kind of jumped out that way in these camps.”
Before letting go of defensive tackle Derek Wolfe with an injury settlement, the Ravens had been operating as if they wouldn’t have the veteran on the field this season, per Zrebiec. After signing a three-year extension last offseason, Wolfe suffered a back injury that ultimately cost him the entire 2021 season. January hip surgery led to retirement talk, and Wolfe recently revealed that he had undergone another hip surgery later in the offseason. As Zrebiec notes, the team made plenty of moves to assure they wouldn’t be relying on the veteran, including the re-signing of Calais Campbell, using a third-round pick on Travis Jones, and signing veteran Brent Urban.

Ravens Notes: Wagner, Dobbins, Edwards

April 3rd, 2022 at 12:53pm CST by Rory Parks

The Ravens tried to sign LB Bobby Wagner, the former Seahawks star who was released by Seattle last month. On March 28, we heard that Baltimore had submitted an offer that it believed was “very competitive” vis-à-vis the proposal that Wagner received from the Rams, and Mike Florio of Pro Football Talk reported yesterday that the Ravens had offered a two-year, $18MM contract.

At first blush, that looks to be a far cry from the five-year, $50MM deal Wagner ultimately signed with Los Angeles. But we are still awaiting details on the structure of that agreement, and Florio hears that Wagner will get paid $17MM over the first two years of the deal, with “small guarantees” in the second year. If that’s the case, then the Ravens’ offer — the structure of which is also unknown — may well have been as competitive as the team thought. Perhaps Wagner, an LA native, simply wanted to stay home and play for the defending champions.

Baltimore, meanwhile, has now had near misses with Wagner and Za’Darius Smith in recent weeks, leaving the club with plenty of work still to do in the front seven.

Now for several more items out of Charm City:

The Ravens’ 2021 fortunes were severely undermined by injury, including season-ending ACL tears suffered by running backs J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards before Week 1. Head coach John Harbaugh recently told reporters, including Jeff Zrebiec of The Athletic, that both players are making progress, but that they will likely start this year’s training camp on the active/PUP list (Twitter link). Given how important Dobbins and Edwards are to Baltimore’s run-oriented attack, it makes sense that the team would play it safe with the top two members of its RB depth chart.
The Ravens have hired Kerry Dixon as their assistant quarterbacks coach, per a team announcement. This will be Dixon’s first NFL gig. The former Baylor and Hampton quarterback spent the past 15 seasons as a collegiate assistant, and he served as Georgia Tech’s wide receivers coach from 2019-21. He will team with James Urban to get the most out of star passer Lamar Jackson, whose contract status remains one of the biggest storylines in Baltimore.
Even if Smith had followed through on his commitment to the Ravens, Baltimore may have been eyeing an edge rusher with its first-round pick (No. 14 overall) in this year’s draft. With Smith out of the picture, GM Eric DeCosta may be even more inclined to enhance his pass rush, and polarizing prospect Kayvon Thibodeaux is on the team’s radar.
Harbaugh, now the third-longest-tenured HC in the league, recently signed an extension that will keep him on the Ravens’ sidelines through the 2025 season.

Ravens Cut Michael Schofield

August 30th, 2021 at 3:37pm CST by Andrew Ortenberg

As the Ravens start to cut their roster down to 53, one established veteran found himself on the chopping block. Baltimore terminated the contract of offensive lineman Michael Schofield, the team announced Monday.

As a vested veteran Schofield will now become a free agent who can sign with any team rather than being subjected to waivers. Although it was a formality, the team also officially placed starting running back J.K. Dobbins on injured reserve, ending his 2021 season before it could start.

Schofield originally entered the league as a third-round pick of the Broncos back in 2014. After missing his rookie year he started 29 games at tackle and guard for Denver over the following two seasons, and won Super Bowl 50 with the team. Despite his large contributions he found himself waived just before the start of the 2017 season, and was quickly scooped up by the Chargers.

He ended up starting all 32 games for Los Angeles at guard between 2018-19. He signed with the Panthers as a free agent last offseason, and started three games for Carolina in 2020. Still only 30 and with 69 career starts under his belt as well as some positional versatility, he should be able to find a new home at some point.

Ravens’ J.K. Dobbins Done For Year

August 29th, 2021 at 6:12pm CST by Zachary Links

It’s official. On Sunday, an MRI confirmed an ACL tear for Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins (Twitter link via Adam Schefter of ESPN.com). The Ravens will place Dobbins on injured reserve this week to free up a roster spot, but they won’t be able to replace his production.

This was the expected news after Dobbins was forced out of last night’s preseason matchup against Washington. Dobbins was set to play a leading role in the rushing attack along with star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Now, they’ll be leaning even more on Gus Edwards with support from third-year scat-back Justice Hill and 2020 UDFA Ty’Son Williams.

Dobbins, a first-round talent, fell to the Ravens at No. 55 overall last year. He became a central part of the offense in the second half of 2020, finishing out with 134 carries for 805 yards (6.0 ypc), and nine rushing TDs. Edwards is still a solid Plan B (5.2 career ypc), but it remains to be seen whether he can handle a double-digit carry workload.

If the Ravens go out-of-house, they could reconsider Todd Gurley. Gurley, the NFL’s 2017 Offensive Player of the Year, touched base with Baltimore back in June.

J.K. Dobbins Believed To Have Suffered Season-Ending Injury

August 29th, 2021 at 9:22am CST by Rory Parks

It is believed that Ravens second-year running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending knee injury during last night’s preseason matchup against Washington, as Adam Schefter of ESPN.com tweets. Ian Rapoport of NFL.com adds that an ACL tear is the expected diagnosis. Dobbins is presently undergoing an MRI to confirm (Twitter link).

This is, of course, a devastating blow to Baltimore’s offense. Although the Ravens made several high-profile additions to their WR corps this offseason, their attack was still going to be predicated on a fearsome ground game spearheaded by Dobbins, fellow RB Gus Edwards, and quarterback Lamar Jackson. Now, Edwards suddenly finds himself atop the depth chart, with third-year scat-back Justice Hill and 2020 UDFA Ty’Son Williams — who has played well this preseason — behind him.

Dobbins, a first-round talent whom the Ravens snapped up with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2020 draft, was gradually eased into professional action. He did not receive double-digit rushing attempts in a game until Week 8 last year, but once he became a featured piece of the team’s offense, he was tremendous. He finished the season with 134 carries for 805 yards, good for an excellent 6.0 yards-per-carry average, and he added nine rushing TDs.

It will be next to impossible to replace the production that the Ravens expected to get out of Dobbins this year. Edwards has been a strong performer in his own right, as he boasts a 5.2 YPC average over three years in Baltimore. However, he is not the receiving threat that Dobbins was projected to be, and his success has generally come as a complementary piece, not as a feature back. He is a former UDFA himself, so maybe the Ravens can spin more hay into gold with Williams or 2021 college free agent Nate McCrary.

If the organization looks for external options, Todd Gurley could be a target. Gurley visited the Ravens back in June, and he remains unsigned. Knee injuries have derailed his career, and though he managed to play 15 games in each of the past two seasons, he could not reach the 4.0 YPC threshold in either year. Still, if he were to be deployed as part of a timeshare with Edwards and Hill/Williams/McCrary, he may be more effective.

Speculatively, a player like the Colts’ Marlon Mack could also be an option. Mack suffered a torn Achilles in Week 1 of the 2020 season, but he eclipsed 1,000 yards rushing in 2019 and came close to doing so in 2018, despite playing in only 12 games that year. The injury depressed his market this offseason, and he re-upped with Indy on a one-year, $2MM pact. The Colts, however, have Jonathan Taylor entrenched as their RB1, and they are also rostering Nyheim Hines and Jordan Wilkins. If GM Chris Ballard feels he has enough depth there, perhaps he and Ravens GM Eric DeCosta could swing a deal.

Ravens Place Robert Griffin III On IR

December 4th, 2020 at 3:06pm CST by Sam Robinson

The hamstring injury Robert Griffin III suffered Wednesday in Pittsburgh will result in a prolonged absence. This could complicate matters for the Ravens.

While RG3 going on IR would not normally affect Baltimore’s starting lineup, it is not yet known if Lamar Jackson will be ready to return when first eligible to come off the Ravens’ reserve/COVID-19 list. Jackson tested positive for the coronavirus on Nov. 26 and cannot return to practice until Sunday. The Ravens will host the Cowboys on Tuesday night.

Baltimore used third-stringer Trace McSorley — who was recently activated from the COVID list — at the end of Wednesday’s loss to the Steelers. He would be in line to start for the Ravens against the Cowboys, should Jackson require more recovery time.

RG3 struggled against the Steelers but brings extensive NFL experience McSorley obviously lacks. An eighth-year NFL vet, Griffin has been Jackson’s backup for three years. Griffin cannot resume his QB2 duties until at least Week 16.

While the Ravens will be without Griffin for a while, they did receive word Friday they will have more depth available against Dallas. Baltimore activated J.K. Dobbins, Matt Skura, Patrick Mekari and Pernell McPhee from the virus list.

The Ravens held Dobbins and Mark Ingram out of their thrice-rescheduled game in Pittsburgh. Both backs tested positive for COVID-19 but would have been eligible to return for Week 12. Dobbins being back in action will be a boon to a Ravens team suddenly on thin ice with regards to playoff qualification.

Latest On Ravens’ COVID-19 Situation

December 2nd, 2020 at 10:08am CST by Zachary Links

Despite being eligible to come off of the COVID-19 reserve list, Ravens running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins will not play today against the Steelers, according to NBC’s Michelle Tafoya (Twitter link via Andrew Perloff of The Dan Patrick Show). The Ravens will be well-set with Gus Edwards in the backfield, but they’ll still be severely shorthanded for their afternoon tilt.

At least 12 Ravens players have tested positive for the coronavirus, including star quarterback Lamar Jackson. Safety Geno Stone was among the latest to test positive for COVID-19 — a troubling development since he was not previously categorized as a “high-risk close contact.”

As Jonas Shaffer of the Baltimore Sun notes, the Ravens will be conducting point-of-care tests prior to kickoff in order to screen any possible new cases. And, as Mike Garafolo of NFL.com notes (on Twitter), the NFLPA will be keeping a watchful eye on those results. The union is not opposed to the game being played today, but they may push back against the league if the spread continues.

Ingram, Dobbins May Return Vs. Steelers

December 1st, 2020 at 10:02am CST by Zachary Links

The Ravens’ roster has been decimated by a COVID-19 outbreak, but help may be on the way. Running backs J.K. Dobbins and Mark Ingram will not fly with the team to Pittsburgh today, but the expectation is that they will fly tomorrow, in time to suit up for the Wednesday game against the Steelers (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero).

The league’s COVID protocols mandate a 10-day isolation period, and today marks Day 10. Had the game taken place on Thursday night as originally planned, or postponed to Sunday afternoon or Tuesday night (tonight), they would have been ineligible. The third — and, hopefully, final — postponement of the game has given them an opportunity to face the Steelers.

The Ravens running backs learned of their positive tests on Nov. 23. A number of Ravens players, including star quarterback Lamar Jackson, tested positive for the coronavirus in the days that followed. The Ravens are still working with a half-strength offense, but the presence of Ingram and Dobbins should help.

Before the positive, Dobbins registered 5.3 yards per carry for Baltimore. Ingram, meanwhile, is itching to get back on the field — he’s played in just eight games so far, thanks to an October injury.

No team placed a player on the reserve/COVID-19 list Tuesday, and Mark Maske of the Washington Post tweets the Ravens’ string of positive coronavirus tests stopped at eight. The thrice-rescheduled Ravens-Steelers rematch is a go for Wednesday afternoon. While this will not be finalized until the AFC North teams receive test results Wednesday, the Ravens are scheduled to fly to Pittsburgh at 7:15pm ET.

Ravens’ Mark Ingram, J.K. Dobbins Test Positive For COVID-19

November 23rd, 2020 at 2:13pm CST by Zachary Links

Ravens running backs Mark Ingram and J.K. Dobbins have tested positive for COVID-19 (Twitter link via NFL.com’s Mike Garafolo). They’ll both land on the reserve list today, leaving Gus Edwards as their primary back for Thursday night against the Steelers.

Ingram has already missed significant time due to injury. Now, he’s out for at least an additional week until he clears the league’s coronavirus protocols. For Dobbins, the timing is especially unfortunate — he’s coming off of a strong showing against the Titans where he rushed for 70 yards off of just 15 carries, good for an average of 4.67 yards per tote.. All in all, the second-round pick out of Ohio State has averaged 5.3 yards per attempt as Ingram’s fill-in.

Edwards has also impressed in a shorter sample size, tallying 376 yards off of 85 carries (4.4 ypc) and three touchdowns. The 25-year-old Rutgers product has averaged 5.1 yards for the Ravens since turning pro — not too shabby for a backup RB.

The Ravens, sans two of their offensive stars, will look to stop a two-game slide on Thursday when they head to Pittsburgh.