One of the big questions facing the 2022 Ravens is how effectively a number of key players will return from last year’s major injuries, but one member of that group has apparently heard enough about the doubts.
Responding to a report from NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport that expressed uncertainty about his status for the Sept. 11 opener against the New York Jets, third-year running back J.K. Dobbins posted on Twitter that he’s “damn sure going to be ready” for Week 1. Saying he’s “tired of being quiet” while recovering from the torn ACL sustained last Aug. 28, the 2020 second-round pick out of Ohio State said his rehabilitation is going so well that he may even avoid beginning training camp on the active physically unable to perform list. Dobbins, 23, led all NFL running backs at 6.0 yards per carry as a rookie and appeared poised for a breakout year before injuring his left knee on the opening series of the 2021 preseason finale.
“Just know I been working… I been quiet for a reason,” Dobbins also tweeted. “I thrive best when I face adversity….go check my resume.”
The full extent of the injury was never disclosed publicly beyond Dobbins tearing his ACL, but there were initial concerns that he had also sustained damage to his lateral collateral ligament, something Rapoport indicated on Monday. Dobbins didn’t participate in on-field workouts this past spring, but he observed portions of open practices from the sideline and caught Jugs machine passes from a stationary position on a few occasions. The 5-foot-10, 212-pound back split his time between Los Angeles and Baltimore rehabbing this offseason, according to general manager Eric DeCosta.
Fellow running back Gus Edwards also sat out spring practices while continuing to rehab, but 2019 fourth-round pick Justice Hill was able to take part in his return from a torn Achilles tendon sustained last September. To add depth to a backfield decimated by injuries last year, the Ravens signed veteran free agent Mike Davis and selected Missouri’s Tyler Badie in the sixth-round of this year’s draft.
“The knee injuries are a little tougher to say what the schedule really is,” head coach John Harbaugh said last month. “So, [if] you talk to J.K., he’s the starting running back today [and] should have been practicing today. But he’s got work to do still, [and] so does Gus. But they’re both doing great. We’ll see how they look when they come back and all that.”
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Regardless of Dobbins’ rebuke or the accuracy of Monday’s report, you’d expect the Ravens to be careful with a talent so critical to the success of their running game. And as Harbaugh indicated, an organization and medical staff must occasionally protect a player from himself during a long recovery process. That reality makes it quite plausible that the report came from an informed place even if Dobbins envisions a shorter timetable for his return to live-game action.
You could hardly blame the talented back after being sidelined these last 11 months, and it doesn’t mean he’ll be wrong either.
NOTES: Rookies are scheduled to report to Owings Mills on Tuesday with veterans reporting for training camp on July 26. The first full-squad workout is scheduled to take place on July 27. … After signing fourth-round offensive tackle Daniel Faalele and fourth-round cornerback Jalyn Armour-Davis to their rookie deals over the weekend, the Ravens only need to ink second-round edge rusher David Ojabo to have their entire 2022 draft class under contract. … Upon making the Justin Houston signing official last week, the Ravens had a league-low $672,000 in salary cap space, according to the NFL Players Association. That means Baltimore will need to restructure deals to create room for their remaining draft pick signings and additional roster moves.
