3 Questions after Day 15 of Ravens training camp: Soft walkthrough, hard injury news?
- Will bad injury news ever stop coming?
- J.K. Dobbins is back. What did he get from his hold-in?
3. J.K. Dobbins is back. What did he get from his hold-in?
If you spent Monday under a rock, allow me to break the news to you: J.K. Dobbins put an end to his hold-in and returned to practice at The Castle with the rest of his teammates and for the first time through training camp.
With Dobbins entering the final year under contract with Baltimore, speculation arose around the running back's dissatisfaction with his current deal and rookie terms, sitting out practices while still attending them and watching from the stands to try and force the Ravens' hand into offering him a better contract.
That, at least for now and as far as we know, hasn't been the case so Dobbins might have just come to his senses and returned to practice just to earn the contract he's chasing. Unless Dobbins can stay healthy for the full (or at least 15+ games) 2023 season and produce on par with his rumored demands, Baltimore won't budge.
Coach John Harbaugh said at the start of training camp that the situation had "some complexity" to it, and while Dobbins was added to the Physically Unable to Perform (PUP) with a hamstring issue, nobody really bought that as the real reason why his name was listed on it.
Dobbins' unexplained absence spurred rumors of a "hold-in," basically to try and secure a better long-term deal with the team. Dobbins is about to earn nearly $1.4 million next season as part of his rookie contract with Baltimore.
Everybody was happy having Dobbins back training, Dobbins was in great spirits on Monday, and even when we watched him around The Castle in prior practices that was also the case as the rusher had been seen talking to coaches and other staff members of the Ravens throughout the first weeks of August.
Everything remains the same here, only now without any drama surrounding the player or the franchise. Win-win.