J.K. Dobbins’ Monday night met an unfortunate conclusion against his former team.
Dobbins was ruled out in the fourth quarter of the Los Angeles Chargers’ Week 12 30-23 loss to the Baltimore Ravens due to a knee injury and head coach Jim Harbaugh had no update following the game.
Dobbins drew a questionable designation late in the second quarter and went to the locker room. He never returned and had a large brace on his left knee, according to the ESPN broadcast.
Any injury for Dobbins is all the more worrisome considering his history.
A 2020 NFL Draft second-round pick of the Ravens, Dobbins spent four years with the club, flashing plenty of potential that was often overshadowed by his injury travails. He played just 24 games in four years, including missing all of the 2021 campaign after he tore up his knee. In 2022, Dobbins was limited to eight games with a separate knee injury and in 2023 he tore his Achilles in the first week.
He’s found new life in L.A. with familiar faces such as offensive coordinator Greg Roman.
On Monday, Dobbins had six carries for 40 yards, averaging 6.7 yards per attempt. Through Monday’s showing, Dobbins has rushed 158 times for 766 yards and eight touchdowns. In 11 games, Dobbins has already come close to career highs of 805 yards and nine TDs set in his 2020 rookie campaign.
Whether he can set a new career high and shrug off the injury concerns of past seasons is now up in the air as the severity of Dobbins’ latest knee injury remains to be seen.
