J.K. Dobbins would never say his triumphant return to the field one year after suffering a torn Achilles was satisfying. The Chargers running back wouldn’t even say that rushing for 135 yards and one touchdown on 10 carries against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 1 was emotional.
He has bigger plans.
“I knew that’s how hard I worked,” Dobbins said after the game. “I knew it was going to show. I knew my prayers were going to be answered.”
After starring for the Chargers in Week 1, Dobbins could become the first Chargers running back to start a season with back-to-back 100-yard rushing games when the team faces the Carolina Panthers at 10 a.m. PDT on Sunday.
His 13.5 yards per carry average are the most in an opening NFL weekend among players with at least 10 attempts. He caught three passes for four yards. Coach Jim Harbaugh’s favorite part was that Dobbins was “elite” in pass protection.
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“I didn’t like J.K.’s performance,” Harbaugh said, “I loved it. In all ways.”
What Dobbins didn’t love about his performance was his conditioning. After a yearlong layoff, he admitted he needed to get in better shape after he got chased down on long runs of 46 and 61 yards.
Dobbins showed he still has his top-end speed while racing past the first and second levels of defenders. According to Zebra Technologies, which partners with the NFL’s Next Gen Stats, Dobbins reached 19.92 mph on the field Sunday. It was tied with Philadelphia Eagles star Saquon Barkley for the highest top speed reached by a running back during Week 1.
“There’s not too many things that are more impressive than when you see somebody that has a season-ending injury that comes back and then is up to that same standard, maybe even a little better: faster, quicker, stronger,” Harbaugh said. “What you know when that takes place is the grueling rehab. … He definitely put in the work and he’s done it with a smile on his face and a bounce to his step.”
The former first-team All-American has maintained his positive demeanor despite suffering two season-ending injuries in three years. After announcing himself at the NFL level by averaging six yards a carry as a rookie for the Baltimore Ravens, Dobbins missed the 2021 season because of a torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in a preseason game. He returned as the full-time starter in 2022, but was slowed by another knee injury that limited him to seven games.
When Dobbins injured his Achilles in the season opener last year, he joined a growing group of NFL players who have suffered the devastating injury. According to a study published in the International Journal of Sports Physical Therapy, 22 NFL players suffered Achilles tendon ruptures during the 2023 season. The prevalence of Achilles tears in the NFL has increased between three- and five-fold.
Dobbins suffered the injury the same week as New York Jets quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who then became a partner as the pair rehabbed together during the season.
Rodgers and Dobbins traded barbs about who was putting in more work. Rodgers poked fun at how much the 40-year-old quarterback was dominating physical therapy over the 25-year-old running back. Rodgers didn’t just participate in the daily banter. He actively needed it, he said.
“He made every day’s rehab just a little bit brighter,” Rodgers said on the Pat McAfee Show on Tuesday, adding it was “just so freaking cool” to see Dobbins’ success in the opener. “To see him smiling and laughing and more importantly just healthy, I just know what kind of guy he is, he’s a special human being.”
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During free agency, Dobbins reunited with former Ravens running back Gus Edwards and offensive coordinator Greg Roman with the Chargers. With Dobbins sidelined last year, Edwards stepped up for career highs in rushing yards (810), attempts (198) and touchdowns (13) while starting in nine of 17 appearances.
Roman planned to use both Dobbins and Edwards with the Chargers. Edwards started Sunday and had six carries for eight yards during the first half, compared to Dobbins’ two attempts for four yards.
The Chargers were struggling to break through on the ground until Dobbins rushed for 46 yards on the Chargers’ fifth play of the second half, breaking a run up the middle on third-and-one.
Dobbins ended with 10 carries to Edwards’ 11, which went for 26 yards.
In some running back rooms, the by-committee approach might result in tension over playing time. Roman often catches Dobbins and Edwards standing side-by-side during practice, however, and the coach knows his room won’t have to worry about any such problems.
“These guys are such a team,” Roman said. “These guys work so well together, complement each other so well.”
The gregarious Dobbins seems like a stark contrast to the straight-faced Edwards. Edwards, who joined the Ravens as an undrafted rookie in 2018, can be outgoing, Dobbins said.
Dobbins believes his gift is to “be a light.”
“Even through hard times, I’m still smiling,” Dobbins said during the preseason. “Because every day is a blessing. Especially to do the job that I do is a blessing, especially after all the stuff that I’ve been through on the field, I got no reason but to smile, right?”
The only reason to not smile, Dobbins clarified, was if his team was losing. The Chargers hope to avoid that sight weekly.
This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times.
