On Tuesday, the Denver Broncos made several roster moves, releasing wide receiver Michael Bandy from the 53-man roster, placing linebacker Karene Reid on injured reserve, and releasing offensive tackle Marques Cox from the practice squad. The Broncos also signed offensive tackle Geron Christian off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, who’ll take Bandy’s place on the 53-man roster.
As perhaps a good sign, none of those roster moves included running back J.K. Dobbins, whom it was rumored on Tuesday the Broncos were considering placing on injured reserve. The Denver Gazette’s Chris Tomasson posted about Dobbins on X on Tuesday afternoon.
“Broncos, I’m told, are considering what to do with running back J.K. Dobbins and his foot injury. I was told placing him on injured reserve is being considered,” Tomasson posted.
With one player headed to IR, Dobbins has passed one hurdle, but at any point this week before Sunday, the Broncos could still opt to do it. The team’s reticence, of course, comes from the fact that the veteran running back would have to miss four games before he could return from IR. Dobbins suffered a foot injury in the Broncos’ 10-7 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders last Thursday.
We don’t know the specifics or the extent of the injury, only that Dobbins was seeking a second opinion, which doesn’t portend well. From pro athletes to average people, second opinions aren’t usually sought after unless the initial opinion is something unfavorable.
I hope I’m not reading too much into it. However, there’s something to be said for Dobbins not going on IR now alongside Reid. Even if it’s a multi-week recovery, the Broncos could be viewing it like this: Dobbins might miss Sunday’s tilt vs. the Kansas City Chiefs, but then the team hits its bye.
The bye will provide an additional 14 days of recovery time before the Broncos have to face the Washington Commanders. If Dobbins were to hit IR this week, he’d miss, by NFL rule, Week 11’s tilt, Week 13 (Washington), Week 14 (Raiders), and Week 15 (Green Bay).
In actual time, that’d be five weeks but only four games. If Dobbins’ recovery timeline, even optimistically speaking, is inside of four weeks, the Broncos will prefer to keep him rostered and roll the dice that he doesn’t suffer any setbacks.
Again, we don’t know the details of his injury, and Broncos head coach Sean Payton has only spoken once since Thursday night (a Monday morning conference call), and there was no mention of Dobbins. Payton won’t discuss injuries publicly, as a rule, and will not do so beyond what the NFL mandates: essentially, to keep an accurate practice report and list any injured players pre-game. Beyond that, mum’s the word from Payton.
Even in the case of Patrick Surtain II’s pectoral injury, all of the information, including his timeline, was gleaned from insider reporting, not from Payton or the team. I wouldn’t expect the Dobbins injury to be any different, unless, out of the blue, the Broncos place him on IR later this week.
Nov 6, 2025; Denver, Colorado, USA; Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) rushes the ball against the Las Vegas Raiders during the second half at Empower Field at Mile High. / Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images
It will hurt being without Dobbins for any amount of time, though. That’s for sure. He’s on pace for a career year, with 772 rushing yards (ranks fifth in the NFL) and four touchdowns.
The injury bug has been the biggest roadblock to Dobbins’ NFL career reaching the stratosphere. He’s missed multiple games in each season he’s been in the league, dating back to 2020.
When he’s healthy, though, Dobbins is one of the NFL’s most productive running backs, and he’s proven that again this year in Denver. He’s also offered a team captain-type impact off the field, helping to lead the Broncos’ offense and mentor the young players in the running back room, including rookie RJ Harvey.
For at least the Chiefs game on Sunday, we can expect the No. 1 running back mantle to fall on Harvey’s shoulders. Here’s to hoping that he’s ready for it because the Chiefs will be rested, coming off their bye, and hungry to avenge Denver’s 38-0 shutout victory over them (and their second-team players) in the season finale last year.
This time around, the Broncos are the AFC West leaders, not the Chiefs. At 5-4, the Chiefs have some ground to make up in the division and the conference playoff race, which means the Broncos are going to get their best shot.
As soon as we glean anything more about Dobbins’ injury and prognosis, we’ll pass it along. It’s also worth noting that linebacker Alex Singleton wasn’t placed on IR today either, as he recovers from a surgery he underwent on Friday after being diagnosed with testicular cancer.
Another good sign that the Broncos expect Singleton to be recovered inside of the next four games. His focus, though, is a fight for his life, so that must take precedence over football.
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