NFL running back JK Dobbins has had horrendous injury luck so far in his NFL career, but the former Baltimore Ravens second-round pick may soon be joining the defending Super Bowl champion Kansas City Chiefs.
Dobbins, who is an unrestricted free agent this offseason, is visiting the Chiefs, his agency told ESPN's Adam Schefter.
“Free-agent RB JK Dobbins is currently in Kansas City on a visit with the Chiefs per his agency LAA Sports & Entertainment,” Schefter tweeted. “The former Ravens starting running back ‘is expected to have a home very soon.'”
JK Dobbins' NFL injury woes
In four seasons in the NFL, Dobbins has managed to play just 23 games, 15 of which came in his rookie season. After a strong rookie campaign in which he rushed for 805 yards and nine touchdowns, Dobbins tore his ACL, LCL, hamstring, and meniscus in the 2021 preseason, forcing him out of action for the entire season.
While he recovered and ultimately returned during the 2022 season, Dobbins had lingering issues and underwent another albeit more minor surgery to clear up scar tissue from the initial procedure. He returned late in the season and ultimately played seven regular-season games and one playoff game in 2022.
In what he had likely hoped would be his first fully healthy season since his rookie year, Dobbins suffered yet another catastrophic injury. During the first game of the 2023 season against the Houston Texans, Dobbins tore his Achilles tendon while being tackled, ending his season.
In late March, Dr. Neal ElAttrache, the surgeon who operated on Dobbins' Achilles tendon, wrote a letter to specific teams in which he remarked the running back looks “outstanding” and confirmed that he is cleared to play football.
Dobbins, 25, excelled at Ohio State from 2017 to 2019. In each of his three seasons, he rushed for at least 1,000 yards and scored eight total touchdowns. His final season with the Buckeyes was, by far, his best, however. As a junior, Dobbins ran for 2,003 yards and 21 touchdowns, in addition to gaining 247 yards and two touchdowns receiving. He was named a first-team All-American and was a finalist for the Doak Walker Award and finished sixth in Heisman Memorial Trophy voting.
After the 2019 season, Dobbins declared for the NFL Draft, during which he was selected No. 55 in the second round by the Ravens. Dobbins mostly split time with Gus Edwards in the Ravens' backfield as a rookie and appeared to be set to take another step in his development before suffering the knee injury in the preseason.
With only eight games played over the past three seasons, Dobbins is no longer a part of the Ravens' plans. Instead, Baltimore signed former Tennessee Titans running back Derrick Henry to a two-year, $16 million contract this offseason.
Henry, at age 30, has been one of the best tailbacks in the NFL since being drafted in 2016 and has only played fewer than 15 games in a season once in his eight-year career. Last season, Henry rushed for 1,167 yards and 12 touchdowns.
If Dobbins does ultimately sign with the Chiefs, who won their second consecutive Super Bowl and third in five years, he could pair well with Isiah Pacheco, who ran for 935 yards and seven touchdowns last season as Kansas City's No. 1 running back.
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