Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins has been one of the biggest surprises two weeks into the 2024 season. The former second-round pick leads the NFL in rushing yards (266).
It’s a remarkable feat given the fact that he wasn’t sure he’d even be given a chance to play this year after an injury-riddled start to his professional career.
“The body, you’re going to build that back, but the mind aspect of it, man, you definitely gotta tap into another area,” Dobbins said on “The Jim Rome Show.” “You know there’s some days, some dark days, some days where you’re like, ‘Man, am I gonna get back?'”
Dobbins, selected by the Ravens in 2020, had played in just nine games over the past three seasons.
He tore his ACL ahead of the 2021 season, which forced him to miss the entire season. In 2022, Dobbins played in only eight games due to a separate knee issue, and then last year he tore his Achilles in Week 1.
So it came as no surprise when Baltimore opted to part ways with him this offseason.
Los Angeles eventually gave him another chance in the NFL, but he wasn’t always sure he’d be given that opportunity.
“That was my last year on my contract, so I was like, man, is another team maybe gonna take a chance on me?” Dobbins added. “And that’s early. That’s before I knew, oh yeah, I’m healthy, oh yeah, I’m gonna get this chance and I’m gonna do well with it.”
The one thing Dobbins has had on his side is youth. He is still only 25, which has allowed him to bounce back from his injuries quicker than most.
Through two weeks, he looks rejuvenated with plenty of gas left in the tank. If he can stay healthy, he could just end up being the NFL’s leading rusher and Comeback Player of the Year by the end of the season.
“It was some long dark hours, dark nights where I couldn’t sleep just thinking man, what’s going to happen?” Dobbins finished. “It’s been a unique situation and just a testimony to the work we’ve been putting in throughout camp.”
