After suffering a knee injury in Week 12 against the Baltimore Ravens, the Los Angeles Chargers placed running back JK Dobbins on the IR, forcing him to miss the next four games at minimum. However, following five games on IR, the Chargers opened up Dobbins' 21-day practice window, per Ari Meriov on X.

This move means that Dobbins can return to practice as early as Week 17, while the Chargers prepare to take on the New England Patriots in their end-of-season playoff push.

Before Dobbins got hurt, it appeared that Jim Harbaugh revived the 26-year-old's career, as he was on pace for his best season in the NFL.

Chargers, Jim Harbaugh reviving JK Dobbins' NFL career

Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs the ball ahead of Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Cam Taylor-Britt (29) to score a touchdow during the second half at SoFi Stadium.
Gary A. Vasquez-Imagn Images

As a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State, Dobbins began his career with the Ravens, posting 805 yards and nine touchdowns in 15 games his rookie season.

In Baltimore, Dobbins was part of a four-headed rushing attack his rookie season, alongside Lamar Jackson, Gus Edwards, and Mark Ingram. Of those four, Dobbins ranked second in the team in rushing yards behind Jackson (1,005) but led the team in rushing touchdowns (9).

However, Dobbins' career has been one riddled with injuries.

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After a stellar rookie season, he tore his ACL in 2021, missing the entire season. Then, in 2022, Dobbins faced another knee injury, forcing him to miss nine games that season.

To top it all off, Dobbins then tore his Achilles in the first week of the 2023 season, causing him to be sidelined for the entire season.

Now, in his first season under Harbaugh and the Chargers, Dobbins was seeing a revival of his career, up until suffering a knee sprain against the Ravens.

Though this injury wasn't nearly as severe as those in the past, it still caused him to miss five games.

Through 11 games, he accumulated 766 yards and eight touchdowns, adding just short of 200 receiving yards to his season total. Had he been healthy all season, he would have been on pace for his first 1,000-yard rushing season, adding 12 touchdowns to the mix.

Now, with his 21-day return window opened, he could see the field as early as Week 17 against the Patriots, potentially finishing this season with his best numbers since he was a rookie.