Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins was a top-five NFL ball-carrier — before his season ended. Is that enough to justify bringing him back?
PLAYER: J.K. Dobbins
POSITION: Running back
AGE: 27
CURRENT CONTRACT: One year, $2.065 million
EXPERIENCE: Six seasons
SPOTRAC CONTRACT PROJECTION: $2,551,770 per year per year
KEY STATS:
Ranks third among NFL running backs in average per carry since 2020 (minimum 300 attempts), with 5.2 yards per rush
Averaged 77.2 rushing yards per game last season
Stood fifth in the league in rushing yardage when he was lost for the year
Has averaged more than 4.5 yards per attempt in every season when he’s had more than 10 attempts
WHY THE BRONCOS COULD BRING HIM BACK
When Dobbins is in the lineup, he’s likely to produce — if he recovers from the Lisfranc injury that ended his season after 10 games as well as he did the injuries that curtailed his previous campaigns.
His litany of health issues should make him affordable, just as it did last year. If the Broncos could have him backstopped with a viable contingency plan, they could roll the dice and know that for as long as Dobbins’ health lingered, they would have top-five efficiency in the backfield. That’s difficult to find at any price; the Broncos could get that on the cheap with Dobbins — but with the expectation of a shorter shelf life, if his career trends persist.
Yes, the injury that ended his season was arguably illegal; the NFL didn’t deem it to be worthy of a fine, but it appeared to be a hip-drop tackle that should have necessitated some form of league punishment. But the nature of the injury doesn’t change the fact that Dobbins, despite his protestations at the term “injury-prone,” has played just 51 of a possible 109 games, including postseason.
WHY THE BRONCOS WOULD LET HIM WALK
There are options on the free-agent market — potentially including names like Seattle’s Kenneth Walker III, Breece Hall of the New York Jets, Jacksonville’s Travis Etienne, Pittsburgh’s Kenneth Gainwell, Carolina’s Rico Dowdle and Atlanta’s Tyler Allgeier. The draft class isn’t as robust, but a runner like Notre Dame’s Jadarian Price — who is also an exceptional kickoff returner, a skill set where you need two viable options thanks to the revised “dynamic kickoff” rules — could make sense.
Beyond that collection, there are potential power backs such as Arkansas’ Mike Washington Jr. and Penn State’s Kaytron Allen who flashed at the Senior Bowl and could be options in Round 3; they would be ideal skill-set complements to second-year runner RJ Harvey. None of them have the lengthy injury history of Dobbins, who has missed more games than he’s played in six NFL seasons.
THE OUTLOOK:
The problem for Dobbins is that his 2025 season did nothing to change the book on him. Yes, he remains one of the league’s most-efficient running backs — when he plays. But the final three words of that sentence are the clouds that shroud his entire CV in mist and fog.
