The Baltimore Ravens were hit by a rash of injuries last season heading into the 2021 campaign. One of the players who suffered a serious injury was running back J.K. Dobbins, who tore his ACL in the final preseason game.
What made the injury worse was that the running back position was already ravaged by injuries. Gus Edwards and Justise Hill both suffered season-ending injuries as well, which led to the Ravens’ cycling through veterans in the backfield such as Le’Veon Bell, Latavius Murray and DeVonta Freeman.
It was a brutal blow as Dobbins was looking at an expanded role in the backfield. He had a strong rookie campaign, rushing for 805 yards on 134 carries while scoring nine touchdowns. Dobbins also caught 18 passes for 120 yards.
Back in June, head coach John Harbaugh said that Dobbins would be ready for Week 1. Most recently, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that Dobbins’ rehab is going well and no setbacks have been reported, but that returning for the first game of the season was not a sure thing.
That report certainly came from someone that wasn’t Dobbins, as he disputed it. He took to social media, sharing a tweet on Twitter that confirmed he would be ready to go in Week 1 when the Ravens take the field on the road against the New York Jets.
“I might not even go on PUP [the physically unable to perform list] because that’s how good my rehab is going and I’m damn sure going to be ready for week 1.”
He continued, saying, “I would post videos but I want all you fake a** doctors and people who have never spoken a word to me to see what me and Jesus been up to on the biggest stage.”
Dobbins sounds like someone that will be ready to go and the Ravens will certainly be happy to have him. They are one of the most dominant run teams in the NFL and having the Ohio State product back there will make them even more dangerous.
