Few players on the Baltimore Ravens‘ roster received as much offseason hype as running back. J.K. Dobbins. The second-year pro was the talk of the offseason with many expecting him to take the NFL by storm in 2021.
And while that still very well might happen, the hype surrounding Dobbins has slowed down a little this summer. That’s because Dobbins has run into his fair share of struggles in training camp.
Dobbins had three carries for zero yards in the team’s preseason opener against the New Orleans Saints. He’s failed to find the open space necessary to show off his big-play ability in practice.
He even tossed his helmet in frustration after losing a fumble on Wednesday. Dobbins’ struggles aren’t necessarily concerning, but they are noteworthy.
The Athletic’s Jeff Zrebiec detailed some of Dobbins’ recent struggles.
"“Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins sure has had a quiet training camp after garnering so much hype earlier in the summer. In recent practices, he’s looked frustrated at times by his failure to create more big plays and find more space. That bubbled over Wednesday when he tossed his helmet after losing a fumble. Four days earlier, Dobbins had three carries for no yards against New Orleans.”"
J.K. Dobbins’ struggles at Ravens training camp aren’t a cause for concern
While it would be nice to see Dobbins hit the ground running in training camp and make good on his offseason hype, it shouldn’t be overly concerning that he hasn’t found the success many hoped he would.
After all, there are some pretty simple explanations for it.
First and foremost, the Ravens have been shuffling their offensive line all summer due to various injuries. The result has been a lackluster unit that hasn’t created many holes in the running game.
It’s hard to make plays in open space when there’s no open space to be found.
On top of that, offensive coordinator Greg Roman typically runs a rather vanilla offense during training camp. The multiple, diverse offense that the Ravens run during the regular season is nowhere to be found in the summer.
Dobbins’ struggles are likely a direct result of each of those things. Fortunately, neither should be an issue come the regular season.
Barring any setbacks or new injuries, the Ravens should have their five starting offensive linemen healthy for Week 1. And once the regular season arrives, Roman will return to his typical complex, diversified offensive attack.
When that happens, Dobbins should finally get the opportunities he’s been looking for. Soon enough, his struggles should be a thing of the past.