The Baltimore Ravens pulled away in their 2023 season debut against the Houston Texans, but the potential victory came with a massive cost to their backfield, potentially losing starting running back JK Dobbins for the season.
After getting rolled up on in the red zone, Dobbins immediately walked to a trainer and appeared to be in discomfort. Shortly after the play, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport tweeted that the Ravens believe that Dobbins may have suffered a torn achilles on the play, potentially ending his season before it began.
#Ravens RB JK Dobbins is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. A crushing injury. He?ll have an MRI to confirm.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2023
It's a brutal injury for Dobbins, who was hoping to earn a major payday in the final year of his rookie deal. The former Ohio State standout had even been rumored to be holding out this offseason in hopes of a long-term contract extension.
Dobbins has had a tough string of injury luck in his first few seasons in the NFL. A second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, Dobbins suffered a torn ACL in 2021, and missed a significant portion of the 2022 season on injured reserve after another knee issue.
When healthy, Dobbins has been a dynamic playmaker for the Ravens. In 22 games over three seasons, he's averaged an impressive 5.9 yards per carry, rushing for 1,232 yards and 11 touchdowns with another score on a receiving touchdown.
If the injury is indeed a torn achilles for Dobbins, it could signal the end of his career in Baltimore given his long stretch of injury history at the NFL level. For the Ravens, it will leave them without one of their top offensive weapons, and force the team to rely on Gus Edwards and Justice Hill to take on much bigger workloads than anticipated in 2023.
Regardless of who needs to step up for the Ravens, it's devastating news for Dobbins, who has worked so hard to get back to 100 percent.
