Former Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins to sign with Chargers
J.K Dobbins plans to play for the Los Angeles Chargers this fall. According to Tom Pelisserro of the NFL Network, the former Baltimore Ravens running back will join the Chargers on a one-year contract.
Dobbins is looking to get back on track after missing nearly all of the 2023 season with a torn Achilles tendon. In 2022, Dobbins played in only seven games due to a knee injury. And in 2021, Dobbins tore his ACL in the final preseason game and missed the entire season.
The Ravens selected Dobbins in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. He had a strong rookie season, rushing for 805 yards and nine touchdowns on 805 carries. Dobbins will be reunited with Greg Roman, the Chargers’ offensive coordinator who held the same position at Baltimore from 2019-2022.
Earlier this year, Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta spoke to reporters about the future of Dobbins whose contract expired in March. “Obviously, we do have some free agents, and it was a challenge this year, with J.K. injury, which was unfortunate and terrible for us, and then with Keaton,” DeCosta said during an end-of-season press conference in February, per AtoZ Sports. “But we’ll assess that market, we’ll talk to those guys. … We’ll see where things kind of lay with Gus and J.K. – both two guys that I have a lot of respect for, two outstanding players for us over the past three or four years.
“We’ll look at the draft, we’ll look at free agency. That’s kind of a position, like offensive line; like, we’ve got to have some good running backs.”
J.K. Dobbins wanted to stay with the Ravens
Before the start of the 2023 season, Dobbins spoke to reporters about not wanting to leave Baltimore. “The thing I can say is, I would love to be a Baltimore Raven for the rest of my career,” Dobbins said after he was asked where he stood with the team after not taking the field during minicamp, per NFL.com. “Because I love the city, I love the people. It feels like family here. Like, it feels like home here, my second home. And I hope that happens. I hope that happens.”
Dobbins played college football at Ohio State and was one of the top running backs in the country. In 2019, Dobbins was named a first-team All-American after rushing for 2,003 yards and 21 touchdowns.