Chargers Sign J.K. Dobbins to One-Year Deal
Photo Credit: Rob Carr, Getty Images
The Los Angeles Chargers signed running back J.K. Dobbins on Wednesday, further bolstering their re-tooled running back room. The contract is for one year, and the compensation has not been finalized. Dobbins joins fellow ex-Raven Gus Edwards on the Los Angeles roster, as he is the next former Raven to go from having John Harbaugh as their head coach to his brother, Jim. Dobbins will fit right into the offensive scheme in Los Angeles, as he will be reunited with Greg Roman, his former offensive coordinator.
Dobbins burst onto the NFL scene in his rookie year in 2020. The Ohio State product appeared in 15 games, rushing for 805 yards and nine touchdowns on six yards per carry. The six yards per carry is the 12th-best number by a running back in the Super Bowl era.
However, since that phenomenal rookie season, Dobbins has been plagued by injuries, as he played in just nine of his final 51 games in Baltimore. In the 2021 preseason, Dobbins tore his ACL, LCL, meniscus, and hamstring in his left leg, causing him to miss the whole season. He wasn’t his true self in 2022, missing nine games while dealing with the lingering effects of the injury. In 2023, he tore his Achilles in Week 1 and missed the entire season.
If Dobbins can stay healthy, this deal is a bargain for Los Angeles, who needs improved production from their running game that ranked in the bottom-third of the league in all major categories in 2023. He showed before he tore his Achilles that he still had some juice in the tank with this leaping touchdown to open the season.
This signing fills another need for the Chargers, but the organization could possibly still look for a late round running back in next week’s draft to add some youth to that room with names such as Oregon’s Bucky Irving and Michigan’s Blake Corum, who Jim Harbaugh coached at Michigan. The Chargers currently hold the fifth pick in the draft, where they could possibly make a splash pick with a wide receiver to add more weapons for Justin Herbert to work with.
