The Denver Broncos need J.K. Dobbins probably more than he needs them.
Denver cannot, will not contend if Dobbins is injured this year.
And while he’s promised to stay healthy, the oft-injured running back left practice today with a minor injury.
Denver Broncos can’t content if J.K. Dobbins is injured
Dobbins has been injured every year of his career.
The most games he’s played in a single season were 11 in 2024 with the Chargers. Last year’s 10 in Denver were the second-most for one season.
He’s been a good-to-great running back when healthy, but you just know the season-ender is going to come at some point.
In 2021 he missed the year with a hamstring, ACL and LCL tear. And he missed half of 2022 when his surgically repaired knee flared up. In 2023 he tore his Achilles tendon, and sprained his MCL in 2024.
Then last year, Dobbins was on fire for the first nine weeks of the season. His 77.2 yards per game were the most of his career to that point; he was on track to easily go over 1,000 yards. That would’ve been a first.
Plus he had four touchdowns to that point and was on pace for seven.
Then the Raiders took him down with a hip-drop tackle that wasn’t called, ending Dobbins’ season in Week 10.
Before he was injured, the Broncos ran for 100-plus yards in 8-of-9 games. And only 4-of-7 times after he was lost for the year. That means they hit the century mark on the ground in 88.9% of games with Dobbins and 57.1% of the time after he was done for 2025.
Denver also fumbled twice following his injury; once by Bo Nix and once by RJ Harvey.
Of note, Harvey was only a rookie last year and handled the load about as well as he could have. If Dobbins is injured this year, Harvey will be more well-suited to carry the ball at a higher rate. Plus, the Broncos drafted Jonah Coleman; more on him in a minute.
Dobbins injured in training camp on Monday
J.K. Dobbins was the latest Denver Broncos starter to sustain an injury in training camp.
Dobbins left practice with trainers, but following camp on Monday, Sean Payton said he’d be fine.
“Yeah, soft tissue, I think he’s gonna be fine,” Payton said of the injury. “We’re just being smart with is, so it’s back to what I was saying at the beginning.”
At the beginning of his presser, Payton explained the team has been going through too many soft tissue injuries and needs to prepare better before practices.
“I don’t think it’s heat related as much,” Payton continued. “You always try to look at your pre-practice routine, your hydration obviously. It’s incumbent on the player, it’s for anyone to know your soft tissue. I’m always looking at what we did up to a period where maybe someone had a strain. We had a warm down after practice and we’ll continue to focus on it though,”
What exactly is a soft tissue injury?
A sprain, strain, or contusion (bruise) are all considered soft tissue injuries. So, minor but likely needs a few days to heal before giving it a full go again. If it were the season, they’d likely just tape him up and tell him to play through it. But it is training camp after all.
The Broncos have seen multiple offensive players go through soft tissue injuries already this camp. That includes new superstar Jaylen Waddle and versatile wideout/returner Marvin Mims.
Where exactly the soft tissue injury is on Dobbins remains to be known. A calf strain is a concern for a player who tore an Achilles before because having a strain can lead to injuring an Achilles. So, one has to hope it’s not that, or a strain to his foot that he injured last year.
Because the Broncos can’t truly compete without Dobbins.
While they did alright without him down the stretch of the regular season, the Broncos couldn’t run the ball with consistency in the postseason. They ran for 79 and 70 yards, respectively in their two playoff games.
With Dobbins, the Broncos possibly could’ve beaten the Patriots in that crazy-snowy AFC Championship Game. They certainly would’ve had a better chance.
The same thing will be true again this year, both in the regular season and especially in the postseason when the weather gets cold and ugly.
A consistent run game is key, especially for a young quarterback. Opposing defensive coordinators told James Palmer last year they weren’t worried about Bo Nix beating them deep if Denver’s running game wasn’t working.
With the Broncos taking home the AFC’s No. 1 seed last year, they have a huge target on their back in 2026. Every team is going to give them their best game. And a strong, veteran runner like Dobbins will be key.
It will be interesting to see if Payton deliberately uses more of a three-headed attack early in the season to keep Dobbins fresh. Harvey has proven to be a strong runner and even better receiver out of the backfield. Meanwhile, the aforementioned Coleman is one of the camp darlings so far this year.
Payton and George Paton said Coleman reminds them of none other than Dobbins, so I wouldn’t be surprised to see some of him in the first few weeks. Although, Payton doesn’t usually like to play rookies too much, too soon.
Denver’s first preseason game is this Friday, with kickoff at 5 p.m. MT in Atlanta on Denver’s 7. It’s unlikely Dobbins, Nix, or Courtland Sutton will play. But Payton said some starters will go in the team’s first preseason action.