OWINGS MILLS, MD. — The last time Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins spoke to the media, he was complaining about his lack of usage in the playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals.
Since then, his only comments have come via a series of cryptic tweets last week hinting about his uncertain future with the organization that drafted him in the second round of the 2020 draft. After an offseason of seemingly constant chatter about the Ravens’ resurgent passing game and Lamar Jackson wistfully talking about throwing for “6,000 yards,” it’s fair to wonder about Dobbins’ frame of mind as he enters a contract year.
With Lamar Jackson’s contract completed, the status of Dobbins has become one of the more compelling storylines of the offseason, especially since he opted to stay away from the team’s voluntary offseason program and was last heard being disenchanted with the organization.
Dobbins is set to become a free agent in 2024, as is linebacker Patrick Queen, selected by the Ravens with their first pick of the 2020 draft. The Ravens did not pick up Queen’s fifth-year option for 2024, meaning he and Dobbins — the Ravens’ top two picks in the 2020 draft — are set to become free agents after the season.
Queen did not take part in the OTA practice open to the media on June 6, though he was on the field for other workouts and met with the media last week. Queen acknowledged that “you go through emotions” in this process — at one point he scrubbed Ravens references from his social media accounts — but he said, “I just came to the realization that everything is not a bad thing.”
“At the end of the day,” Queen said, “I’m just focused on being the best teammate I can be, being the best player that I can be and just going out there and proving myself.”
That underscores a key point about this from the Ravens’ point of view: The team is well served by Dobbins and Queen being highly motivated to produce. While the two players have reason to be frustrated if they expected a long-term extension that has not materialized, they both know that the next big contract — whether in Baltimore or elsewhere — depends on a big 2023 season.
Dobbins expressed in a series of tweets last week that he hoped to remain with the Ravens “till the end of my career,” but then added in a since deleted tweet, “idk tho sadly.”
Whether it was public posturing toward an extension, there appears to be no movement in that direction.
Head coach John Harbaugh said after the team’s June 6 workout that he hadn’t seen Dobbins’ tweets, but added, “We want him back, but who knows in the future? If somebody can tell me whether J.K. is going to be back next year, I’d like to know.”
The Ravens reconvene next week for mandatory minicamp June 13-15, and Harbaugh said he expects everyone to report. Players who don’t are subject to fines. Dobbins, wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. and offensive linemen Ronnie Stanley and Kevin Zeitler are among those players who have been absent from all the voluntary workouts open to the media.
It’s been a rocky road for Dobbins, who appeared to be primed for a breakout 2021 season before tearing his ACL in the preseason finale against Washington. He came back last year but then missed six midseason games for a cleanup procedure on his knee. He finished the year with 92 carries for 520 yards and two touchdowns.
In his career, Dobbins has averaged 5.9 yards a carry, but in the offensive system of previous coordinator Greg Roman, he never commanded the workload that he desired. Roman routinely shuffled as many as four backs into a game, and Dobbins has had more than 15 carries only once in his career.
His frustration boiled over after the team’s playoff loss at Cincinnati. The decisive score came on a 98-yard fumble return by defensive lineman Sam Hubbard after quarterback Tyler Huntley tried to score on a sneak from the 2-yard line. Dobbins, who had looked strong since returning from the midseason injury, was incensed that his number wasn’t called in key situations such as near the Bengals goal line.
“I should be the guy,” he told reporters after the game. “I’m tired of holding back on that. … I’m a playmaker. … I should be out there all the time.”
Dobbins and Gus Edwards have yet to participate in any offseason activity on the field, and it’s unclear how they, Justice Hill and any other backs might fit into the system of new coordinator Todd Monken. Edwards, like Dobbins, is set to become a free agent in 2024.
Harbaugh, though, downplayed any concerns about Dobbins.
“I know J.K., when he gets back here, will be determined [and] excited,” Harbaugh said. “He will work hard. His energy will be high. I know he’ll be in great shape, because I know who he is as a person, and I expect great things out of him this year.”
OTA NOTEBOOK
AGHOLOR SHINES FOR SHORT-HANDED OFFENSE: Several key offensive skill position players missed the June 6 workout including Dobbins, Edwards, fullback Patrick Ricard, tight end Mark Andrews and receivers Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman and Zay Flowers. Ricard, Andrews and Flowers were among those who watched drills from the sideline. (Harbaugh said Flowers has a minor soft-tissue injury but should be on the field for minicamp next week.)
With those players not involved, wide receiver Nelson Agholor was one of the stars of the offense, connecting with Lamar Jackson on several pass plays. Agholor made a leaping catch over the middle during one drill, then beat rookie cornerback Kyu Blu Kelly twice down the left sideline.
It’s worth noting that the defense was also shorthanded. Absences in the secondary included safety Marcus Williams and cornerbacks Marlon Humphrey, Kevon Seymour, Pepe Williams and Jalyn Armour-Davis.
Harbaugh said Agholor, signed by the Ravens in March, has been “on point” in his first action as a Raven. “He’s a talented guy, former first-round pick. He looks it. Rangy, big catch radius. All the things you saw today, I feel like he’s been doing all along.”
EDWARDS EXPECTED TO BE FULL GO FOR CAMP: During OTA workouts, running back Gus Edwards has worked out on a side field with the conditioning staff and has not taken part in any running back drills. Harbaugh said Edwards should be “partially ready” for mandatory minicamp next week and should be “fully ready” for training camp when it begins in late July. “No setback, maybe they’re just being a little cautious.”
TREADWELL JOINS RECEIVER GROUP: Wide receiver Laquon Treadwell, signed by the team a day earlier, was on the field and wearing No. 5 for the June 6 workout. Treadwell becomes the fifth first-round receiver now on the roster, joining Odell Beckham Jr., Rashod Bateman, Nelson Ahgolor and rookie Zay Flowers.
Treadwell was taken No. 23 overall by the Minnesota Vikings in the 2016 draft. After a four-year run with the Vikings, he has bounced around to several teams and practice squads. He played for Atlanta in 2020, Jacksonville in 2021 and Seattle last year. With the Seahawks, he had six catches for 42 yards in six games.
“[Treadwell] came out here and pretty much knew what he was doing after getting here less than 24 hours ago,” Harbaugh said. “He didn’t make a mistake out there. I think that says a lot about who he is. So he’ll be in the mix. We’ll let him compete and see how he does.”
In a corresponding roster move, the Ravens released undrafted rookie quarterback Nolan Henderson.
OJABO, OWEH CONTINUE TO FLASH: Tyus Bowser has not been on the field for workouts open to the media — his Instagram page indicates he has been at the facility for some of the offseason program — and with Bowser not taking part, Odafe Oweh and David Ojabo are getting a lot of work together. The former high school teammates continue to look like an impressive rush duo off the edge.
New outside linebackers coach Chuck Smith said he continues to work with Oweh on specific rush moves that will elevate his game.
“If you use moves, you’ll have success,” said Smith, who prior to joining the Ravens worked individually with pass rushers. “The best players in the NFL who use moves have success. The all-time greats who get sacks and are productive use moves. If I think of [Terrell] Suggs, I think of a long arm with power, right? … After this year, when you see Odafe, you’re going to know his signature pass rush move.”
Photo Credits: Kenya Allen/PressBox