Bleacher Report names running back as Ravens' 2023 breakout candidate
Coming off a year and a half in which all he could do was sit on the shelves while recovering from an ACL injury suffered before the 2021 campaign, Baltimore Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins will enter 2023 hypercharged and having a nice set of outings coming at the tail end of the 2022 season.
Dobbins, who had a ridiculous Week 4 performance, never hit the ground running (no pun intended) again until into the last four matchups of the regular season when he put up some more numbers to wrap up the campaign.
All things considered, it is reasonable to have Dobbins as an upcoming breakout candidate for the Ravens as long as he can stay healthy for the full 2023 campaign while producing at the peak of his powers.
That's also what Kristopher Knox considers a realistic possibility. Knox penned an article for Bleacher Report on Monday, July 17, in which he chose Dobbins as Baltimore's biggest breakout candidate. Here is what he had to say.
"Dobbins has flashed potential since entering the league in 2020, but injuries have delayed his rise to stardom. He missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL and suffered another knee injury partway through 2022.
- Kristopher Knox, Bleacher Report
However, once Dobbins returned last season, he shined. He racked up 397 rushing yards and averaged just under seven yards per carry over his final four regular-season games. With another offseason between Dobbins and the ACL tear, that's the sort of clip the Ravens should expect in 2023.
Dobbins isn't likely to see as many loaded boxes with Baltimore's new playmakers threatening on the perimeter, and he could become more involved in the passing game under Monken. The challenge, of course, will be staying healthy. If Dobbins can do that, he'll have Pro Bowl potential in his contract year.
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All of the above makes a lot of sense if you ask me, let alone if you ask the very own Knox.
While the author starts his blurb about Dobbins by saying that Baltimore has made flashier moves such as inking Lamar Jackson to the richest NFL contract ever or bringing new OC Todd Monken along with veteran superstar WR Odell Beckham Jr., we shouldn't sleep on the rusher's upside.
Dobbins should benefit from an improved and healthy Lamar Jackson and his scrambling prowess.
The abundance of offensive weapons will also play in Dobbins' favor, as opposing defenses won't be able to just focus on him but they would have to cover as many as four of five players every snap.
While Dobbins will definitely lose some looks and touches to other talents in the Ravens' offense, the truth is that as long as he can stay healthy and on the field, and play next to Lamar, Baltimore will most probably keep using him as much as possible considering the Ravens' sublime running game over the past few seasons and how tested and proved it's been of late.
Even though Dobbins is entering his fourth year and "true" third season of play after missing 2021 entirely, you can still consider him a player yet to breakout. Everything points toward that explosion happening the minute the ball gets rolling next September.
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