The Baltimore Ravens activated RB J.K. Dobbins from the Physically Unable to Perform List recently. The coaches fully expect him to be ready for the start of the regular season. Yet there remain unanswered questions about why he spent the majority of the season on the PUP List in the first place.
The veteran running back recently spoke to the media for the first time in a team setting this offseason and he was basically asked that question. According to reporters, he paused for several seconds before answering, beginning with, “That’s a tough question”.
Dobbins has had injury issues for the past two years stemming from a torn ACL in 2021. He was never fully healthy even last season, but he played and got better over the course of the year. He complained at the end of last season that he should have gotten the ball at the goal line in the Ravens’ playoff loss to the Cincinnati Bengals. He did not suffer any reported injuries between now and then.
“I was just being cautious”, he eventually went on to say, his answer only growing more curious. “My teammates need me, so I want to be there for my teammates. And that’s all it was. My teammates understood what was going on. So, it’s all good now. I’m out here”.
My teammates understood what was going on. If Dobbins had any intention of clarifying exactly what was going on, he took a big swing and a miss. I imagine everybody who has followed this with any level of interest assumes something more than injury was involved in his absence, though the team can never say that, given that he was on the Physically Unable to Perform List, if he was actually physically able to perform.
Entering the final year of his contract, he does want a new deal, though it’s clear Baltimore has no interest in giving one to him this offseason. That’s hardly a surprise given his injury history and the absence of a complete season on his resume. While he had not spoken to the media, he did talk to others about these matters during the offseason.
Back in early June, he cast doubt on his future in the city via Twitter all the while expressing love. Asked about his comments, head coach John Harbaugh said, “If somebody can tell me whether J.K. is going to be back next year, I’d like to know – if you’re certain about it. But who knows anything about anything?”.
And a short time after that, during an interview with a local news station, he did talk about the business side. “It’s never just roses and daisies”, he said. “It can be hard at times, and it’s a business”. It seems very much that his unavailability this offseason had a little something to do with a business decision of his own.
Harbaugh has already confirmed that Dobbins will not play in the Ravens’ preseason finale, but he did say that he expects the back to be “taking tons of reps” over the next two weeks and “ready to go”. Outside of on-field activities, he has been involved with the team in every other way since training camp opened.
