The Los Angeles Chargers have signed former Baltimore Ravens running back JK Dobbins to a one-year deal. Dobbins has had injury issues the past couple of seasons which has prohibited him from being a top running back in the NFL. Over the past three seasons, he missed 42 of the Ravens’ 51 games, including the last 16 of last season due to a torn Achilles.
The 25-year-old running back has averaged 5.8 yards per carry in his career, the highest among running backs with at least 200 carries since 2020. Dobbins has produced a run of 10 or more yards on 15.4% of his carries (36 of 234 carries) over the past four seasons. This is third behind only Nick Chubb (17.1%) and Jaylen Warren (15.5%).
A Pretty Solid Career For JK Dobbins So Far
JK Dobbins was a second-round pick out of Ohio State in 2020. He has totaled 1,347 rushing yards and 12 touchdown runs in 24 games with the Ravens.
A New Start With The Los Angeles Chargers
JK Dobbins is now reunited with Greg Roman, his offensive coordinator when he was in Baltimore. Dobbins also is reunited with Gus Edwards, another former Ravens running back. In Dobbins’ rookie season with Roman, he caught a career-high 18 passes. Dobbins is a dual-threat running back and should help the Chargers greatly.
JK Dobbins will fight with former teammate Gus Edwards for the starting running back job once again. The two will be a replacement for Austin Ekeler, who had a very successful tenure with the Los Angeles Chargers until falling off last season. Ekeler was another dual-threat running back for the Chargers, playing in 103 games for the team with 68 starts and recording 990 rushing attempts for 4,355 rushing yards, 39 rushing touchdowns, 440 receptions for 3,884 receiving yards, and 30 receiving touchdowns. Ekeler is now with the Washington Commanders.
Dobbins and Edwards will be a great one-two punch with Los Angeles. This will help reinvigorate the running game which was lacking last year. It was clear that Austin Ekeler’s best years were behind him as he struggled, rushing for 628 yards, 5 touchdowns, and 3.5 yards per carry last season. With the addition of new head coach Jim Harbaugh, who had previously coached the San Francisco 49ers, the Los Angeles Chargers should be trending in the right direction. However, they did lose two of their best wide receivers in free agency with Keenan Allen and Mike Williams gone. That is a position the Chargers will hopefully address in the NFL Draft.
The Los Angeles Chargers will look to bounce back and contend for a playoff spot this season after a miserable 5-12 record in 2023. The team ranked 25th in rushing yards at 1,642 and 27th in average rushing yards at 3.8. The Chargers also ranked at a measly 27th in the league in rushes for a first down with 89.
Here’s to hoping that JK Dobbins has a successful, fairly injury-free tenure with the Chargers as he has had some brutal long-term injuries the past couple of seasons.
About The Author
Cooper Sherman is an avid NFL fan and enjoys watching and covering it the most. The NFL is king. He previously wrote and was a podcaster for the online publications Pro Sports Fanatics and Jersey Column. He is also an NBA fan and watches it occasionally, more when the NFL season ends. Tennis is also an underrated sport to watch. His teams are the Patriots and Celtics, as tough as it is to be a Patriots fan right now. He is optimistic that Jerod Mayo will turn this team in the right direction! Follow him on Instagram and Threads @coopstershermy456, and X/Twitter @justcoopthings.
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