OWINGS MILLS, MD. — If the Ravens expected their mandatory minicamp to clarify the J.K. Dobbins situation, they surely emerged from it disappointed.
The Ravens’ presumptive No. 1 running back reported for the three-day minicamp as required, but he did not take part in any practice activities. That seemed to come as a surprise to head coach John Harbaugh.
“I expected J.K. to practice, and it wasn’t in the cards, apparently,” Harbaugh said after the final minicamp practice June 15. “[He’ll] just get ready for training camp.”
Dobbins is entering the final year of his rookie deal, and in a series of tweets earlier this offseason, he expressed uncertainty about his future in Baltimore. Whether that was posturing for a contract extension that hasn’t come about, with the Lamar Jackson contract situation now resolved, Dobbins’ status became one of the top storylines of the spring.
In an interview with WJZ’s Mark Viviano on June 15, Dobbins reiterated that he would like to remain with the Ravens for his whole career but acknowledged that, “The business side is very hard. … It’s never just roses and daisies. It can be hard at times.”
Other than those comments, Dobbins has not spoken with the media since after the playoff loss at Cincinnati, when he was clearly upset with his lack of usage in key situations, most notably near the end zone. Quarterback Tyler Huntley fumbled on a sneak attempt and the ball was returned 98 yards for a touchdown in what proved to be the game’s decisive play.
Dobbins stayed away from voluntary OTA activities, but then reported to minicamp as required; players are subject to fines if they skip the mandatory camp. The team’s social media channels promoted the running back with a series of videos that emphasized his presence in the building, but when the team took the field for three days of practice, Dobbins remained inside.
At one point, he popped his head out of the weight room to speak to a couple of people, but he did not go to the field to watch full-team drills. Other players, including Rashod Bateman, Zay Flowers, Patrick Ricard and Damarion “Pepe” Williams watched practice periods from the sideline when they missed workouts.
The Ravens have installed a new offense this spring under new coordinator Todd Monken, but the running game has to be viewed as a work in progress considering Dobbins and Gus Edwards, the presumed top two backs, were not involved.
Edwards spent much of OTAs doing conditioning work and took part in some individual drills during the minicamp, but like Dobbins, he took no full-team reps this spring.
Dobbins, the team’s second-round pick in 2020, was primed to become the No. 1 back in 2021 before suffering a season-ending knee injury in the 2021 preseason. He returned this past season but then was shut down in mid-October for a cleanup procedure on his surgically repaired knee. He later played in four late-season games, rushing for more than 100 yards in two of them.
Dobbins finished the 2022 season with 92 carries for 520 yards and two touchdowns.
He has averaged 5.9 yards a carry in his career, with 12 touchdowns (including one reception) in 23 career games. But former offensive coordinator Greg Roman never established a true lead back, and an offense with quarterback Lamar Jackson might never have one anyway given how often Jackson runs the ball. Dobbins has more than 15 carries just once in his NFL career; he had more than that in 12 of 14 games in his final season at Ohio State.
With Dobbins and Edwards sitting out, Justice Hill took over as the top back in spring drills. Undrafted rookies Keaton Mitchell and Owen Wright also got plenty of run. Harbaugh said he was impressed with the work of Hill, whose career has primarily been defined by his special teams play.
“Al those reps helped him,” Harbaugh said. “Repetition is the game of the game. An opportunity to get better. … Justice made the most of it.”
A fourth-round pick out of Oklahoma State in 2019, Hill signed a new two-year, $4.5 million deal in March. He missed the entire 2021 season with a torn Achilles. This past season, he carried 49 times for 262 yards and caught 12 passes for 58 yards. He also played more than half of the team’s special teams snaps.
With minicamp over, the Ravens now scatter for the next five weeks before reconvening in late July to begin training camp. Dobbins’ status will immediately become one of the top storylines as the Ravens continue to reshape their offense under Monken, who downplayed Dobbins’ absence this week.
“Would we love him to be out here? Of course,” Monken said. “As I told him [Wednesday], ‘I’m excited. Give me something. Run a swing route. I don’t care. Just jog down the field. Do something. Give me something to get excited about.’ It’s what we do. You’re excited to be around the players. … We’d love for him to be out here. Obviously, he’s not ready to go. But we’re excited, and I know he’ll be ready when he’s out here. But we certainly are better with him out here.”
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