J.K. Dobbins is a pending free agent, and he made sure Thursday to let everybody know that he's making significant progress in his return.
Dobbins posted a video to social media of him running, now about 5 ½ months after tearing his Achilles.
Dobbins' NFL career thus far has been marred by injuries. He missed the entire 2021 season due to a major knee injury suffered in a preseason game, then suffered a torn Achilles in the Ravens' regular-season opener against the Houston Texans.
Now he faces free agency in a market that will be crowded with talented veterans. General Manager Eric DeCosta said Tuesday that the Ravens have been talking with Gus Edwards, another pending free agent, and will talk with Dobbins.
"[We're] hopeful that we can get something done with those guys," DeCosta said.
The Ravens drafted Dobbins in the second round in 2020 with visions of the Ohio State star becoming a game-changing presence in their backfield in tandem with Lamar Jackson.
It started out that way, as Dobbins led all NFL running backs with 6 yards per carry as a rookie, even though he wasn't in a featured role. He was in line for that his sophomore season before the knee injury.
Dobbins started to look like himself down the stretch in 2022 with back-to-back 100-yard games and averaged 5.7 yards per carry that season. He looked poised for his breakout last year, but once again went down early after scoring a touchdown against the Texans.
A fierce competitor and still just 25 years old, Dobbins won't let his two major injuries end his career. Now it's a matter of where it continues. He said last offseason that he wanted to finish his career as a Baltimore Raven.
There's been plenty of buzz about the Ravens' interest in free agent running backs, but ultimately, they could choose to bring back some of their own.
