Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins, whose status for Week 1 has been considered uncertain as he recovers from a torn ACL, declared via social media that he “damn sure” will be ready when the Ravens open the 2022 season at the New York Jets Sept. 11.
Dobbins pushed back on a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, who stated that Dobbins is “no sure thing to make Week 1” and suggested he could miss the first couple of games.
“Okay, I’m tired of being quiet,” Dobbins tweeted July 18, “… come to me for your source @RapSheet because I might not even go on PUP because that’s how good my rehab is going and I’m damn sure going to be ready for Week 1.”
Dobbins, 23, who was expected to the Ravens’ No. 1 running back last season, suffered a torn ACL in his left knee in the 2021 preseason finale at Washington and missed the entire season. Dobbins, Gus Edwards (torn ACL) and Justice Hill (Achilles) all suffered season-ending injuries before last season even began, a stunning turn of events that decimated the Ravens’ running back position.
Those injuries, all occurring in a two-week span, set the tone for a season in which 25 Ravens landed on injured reserve, including several starters who missed all or much of the season. After battling to an 8-3 start, the depleted team lost its final six games to finish 8-9, just the second losing season in head coach John Harbaugh’s tenure.
Harbaugh said this spring that the team would “play it safe a little bit” with Dobbins and Edwards and that both could begin training camp on the Physically Unable to Perform list. The hope is that both could be on the practice field at some point in August and begin the season on the 53-man roster.
Hill returned to practice during Organized Team Activities. Dobbins has been rehabbing at the team facility and at times observed OTA practice from the sideline.
With their running back room decimated, the Ravens last season turned to a group of veteran free agents that included Devonta Freeman, Latavius Murray and Le’Veon Bell, none of whom remain with the team.
The Ravens this offseason signed veteran Mike Davis and drafted rookie Tyler Badie in the sixth round out of Missouri. Badie, who went to Friends School in Baltimore from sixth through 10th grade, impressed in spring workouts. Those two, plus Nate McCrary and undrafted rookie Ricky Person could be competing for a final roster spot, but much depends on the health of last year’s injured trio.
As a rookie in 2020, Dobbins ran 134 times for 805 yards and nine touchdowns, a Ravens rookie record. He ran for a career-best 160 yards in the regular-season finale at Cincinnati and scored at least one touchdown in his final six games that season. (He missed one game on the reserve/COVID-19 list.) Dobbins also caught 18 passes for 120 yards.
But on the opening drive of the 2021 preseason finale, Dobbins caught a screen pass from Lamar Jackson and suffered a torn ACL as he was tackled.
Days after Dobbins’ injury, Harbaugh said it was a “fair conversation” to question whether starters should play at all in games that don’t count.
“Anytime a guy gets hurt, you ask yourself those questions,” he said.
Harbaugh has not indicated how much starters will play this preseason. In the past, he has played the starters a limited amount, usually ramping up to about a half in the third preseason game.
In addition to Dobbins and the other running backs, the Ravens have several other players recovering from major injuries who have yet to return to the field, including All-Pro tackle Ronnie Stanley (ankle), Pro Bowl cornerback Marcus Peters (ACL), linebacker Tyus Bowser (Achilles), rookie linebacker David Ojabo (Achilles) and safety Ar’Darius Washington (foot).
The Ravens rookies are scheduled to report to the team’s Under Armour Performance Center in Owings Mills, Md., on July 19, with veterans due to arrive a week later. The first full-squad training camp practice will take place on July 27 at 2:35 p.m.
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