Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins clears the air on his injury status

Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins has faced an uphill battle to stay healthy during the 2022 season, recently clearing up some rumors about his knee injury.

Dobbins’ season-ending injury in 2021 was as severe as it gets. He suffered a torn ACL, LCL, meniscus, and hamstring, ruining what could have been a monster breakout campaign for the young running back.

He returned to play four games for the Ravens in 2022 before experiencing a setback in Week 6 against the New York Giants, and he was shortly placed on injured reserve.

The second-year running back is set to be sidelined through Week 11 and told reporters his priority is to recover to full health to help the team by the time playoffs come around.

Dobbins quickly dispelled rumors that he got re-injured, saying “I just didn’t feel like myself. We looked at it and there was some stuff in my knee that was making me not feel like myself.”

Ravens’ J.K. Dobbins plans to recover to full health before returning to the field

Dobbins showed a few glimpses of his old self in Week 4’s matchup against the Buffalo Bills; he only rushed for 41 yards but was uber-efficient at the goal line, scoring one rushing touchdown and one receiving touchdown.

Yet it’s true that Dobbins hasn’t appeared to be 100 percent healthy all year despite being eased into snaps from Week 3 to Week 6. Teams face difficult decisions when it comes to playing their semi-injured running backs — should they sit them until they fully heal from their injuries or keep them involved every week but decrease their snap counts?

The Ravens, having one of the deepest rosters in the league, can thankfully afford to sit Dobbins and let him rest given how well their run game has performed thus far. Free agent acquisition Kenyan Drake stepped up in Week 9 and has proven himself worthy of at least a rotational role while Gus Edwards is projected to return in Week 11.

Dobbins’ breakout campaign may have to wait again, but that’s just part of the sport. He has the right mentality moving forward and should be in his best form when Baltimore makes a postseason run.