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Why J.K. Dobbins could be the key to the Lamar Jackson era

By Chris Schisler

ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 30: J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs for a first down during the first quarter of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images)
ANN ARBOR, MI - NOVEMBER 30: J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes runs for a first down during the first quarter of the game against the Michigan Wolverines at Michigan Stadium on November 30, 2019 in Ann Arbor, Michigan. (Photo by Leon Halip/Getty Images) /
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COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 09: J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Ohio Stadium on November 9, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images)
COLUMBUS, OH – NOVEMBER 09: J.K. Dobbins #2 of the Ohio State Buckeyes celebrates during the game against the Maryland Terrapins at Ohio Stadium on November 9, 2019 in Columbus, Ohio. (Photo by G Fiume/Maryland Terrapins/Getty Images) /

Why Dobbins is the key to the Lamar Jackson era:

The Ravens are going to have a lot of people to pay in the upcoming years. Lamar Jackson, Ronnie Stanley, Marlon Humphrey and Mark Andrews are the top names Eric DeCosta has to try to keep around. Dobbins is with the Ravens for four years. Honestly, that may be all the Ravens need to win a Super Bowl or two. Dobbins will become the number one running back eventually, most likely in the 2021 season. Four years of Jackson and Dobbins could be unimaginably good.

Here is why Dobbins is the key to the Lamar Jackson era. Dobbins can potentially give Baltimore four great years at the running back position on a rookie contract. It’s more than probable that Dobbins will be the starter and the main attraction to the run game in three of those four seasons. This means that the Ravens will continue to get the key ingredient of their offense around Jackson, for a low cost. The Ravens can make Dobbins a workhorse for four years and if they need to franchise tag him for a year after that, so be it. If the Ravens can affordably keep Edwards throughout this time period, it is even better.

light. Related Story. 3 goals for J.K. Dobbins in rookie year

At some point the Ravens had to find an after Ingram plan. Drafting Dobbins was just crossing this off their list early. The Ravens will still add running backs in the coming years, but they now have their starter of the immediate future. They don’t have to scavenger hunt for a running back the way they did when they had to replace Ray Rice. They have their guy.

In the meantime Dobbins can take some of the workload off of Ingram. It’s not like Ingram was getting 25 carries a game in the first place, but splitting more carries won’t be a bad thing for him. Dobbins taking a few touches away from Ingram in every game could preserve the veteran running back for the postseason.

Dobbins is just getting started. Ingram is a 30 year old running back. Dobbins can play a meaningful part in a Super Bowl run this season. After that he has the chance to become the second biggest star on the Ravens offense, the right hand man of the NFL MVP. The Ravens were not thinking solely of the current season when they drafted Dobbins.

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