ENGLEWOOD, Colo. -- When the Denver Broncos constructed their free agency plan for this offseason, there was a crystal-clear rank to the checklist. And one didn’t have to scan too far down it before finding running back J.K. Dobbins’ name.
“I think there were certain priorities,” Broncos coach Sean Payton said. “Dobbins was a priority, ahead of all others.”
As the Broncos closed their offseason program last week, Dobbins smiled at the notion he was “ahead of all others” after he signed a two-year, $20 million extension. He then dialed up his customary high-speed delivery in which he discusses all thoughts football and life, including a promise to have his best season ever in 2026.
“I’m not really with the internet and all that, but me and coach [Payton] had a meeting before all that stuff opened up,” Dobbins said. “Coach is my guy ... he told me this and I believed him. He came and got me.”
Dobbins’ place in the offense made him a priority among the 17 players the Broncos re-signed in free agency, an impact supported by what happened to the rushing offense before and after his season-ending foot injury in Week 10. Before the injury, the Broncos featured one of the most efficient run games in the league, with Dobbins near the top of the individual rushing rankings. Their ability to run the ball withered after his injury to the point where Payton made “run-game consistency” one of his major fix-it projects.
“Everybody knows what would have happened if I don’t get injured,” Dobbins said. “If I played all 17 [games], people wouldn’t have nothing to say. To not come back better -- to me, that’s losing. And I don’t like to lose.”
Until Dobbins suffered his foot injury on what he believed was an illegal hip drop tackle by then-Las Vegas Raiders edge rusher Tyree Wilson, he was fifth in the NFL in rushing yards (772) on 153 carries. At that time, the Broncos were ninth in the league in rushing, tied for fifth in number of runs of 10 or more yards and fourth in average yards per carry over expected (per NFL Next Gen Stats). In the seven games following the injury, the Broncos were 23rd, 24th and 31st in those categories, respectively.
And though he played in only 10 of Denver’s 17 games last season, Dobbins still ended with 232 more rushing yards and seven more carries than any other Bronco. His 5.0 yards per carry was seventh in the league among running backs with at least 140 carries.
But statistical numbers weren’t the only reason Payton put Dobbins atop his offseason to-do list. The running back’s fit in the locker room and contribution to its culture were also big factors.
“He’s one of those compound multipliers,” Payton said. “There’s so much that he brings ... You usually hear him before you see him in there, probably sometimes out here. He’s a tremendous teammate and yes, I’m glad he’s with us.”
The 27-year-old Dobbins is quick to say that he believes he can be part of a team’s energy, a front-line player who can mentor younger players around him. He calls a running back room that includes second-year back RJ Harvey and rookie Jonah Coleman “my guys.” Coleman returned the love.
“[Dobbins] has been great ... he knows what the league is about, I listen, give him questions,” Coleman said. “... I think we can have a three-headed monster.”
While Dobbins looks forward to working with Denver’s tweaked backfield, he gets fired up when the end of last season is broached. Dobbins believes that he was “1000%” going to play in Super Bowl LX had the Broncos gotten past the New England Patriots in the AFC Championship Game. And the seventh-year back is always ready with a counterpoint when his injury history comes up.
Dobbins hasn’t started more than 11 games in a season since being drafted by the Baltimore Ravens in the second round of the 2020 draft thanks to injuries, most notably a torn ACL suffered in the 2021 preseason and a torn Achilles suffered in Week 1 of the 2023 campaign. His 11 starts with the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 and his nine with the Broncos last season are the most he’s had in back-to-back years in his career.
“I don’t hide from the injuries. I’m just saying let’s bring up what I’ve done after them, let’s bring up what I’ve done before them,” Dobbins said. “You can’t find many people with higher average [per carry] then me. ... I want the facts, but I want all the facts.”
Having come back from injuries many don’t return from, Dobbins is quick to draw a line between players who are injured because they haven’t put in the work and those who are injured due to the physical nature of football.
“People know what I’m about,” Dobbins said. “The only thing people can say is, ‘Oh he gets hurt,’ but I’m not injury prone; I’m not getting injury-prone injuries, I’m getting unfortunate injuries. Anybody that gets injuries I get are going to be done ... it’s not, ‘He pulled something, it’s two weeks. Oh, he pulled something else, it’s two more weeks, he can’t practice or whatever.’”
So, consider Dobbins ready for what’s to come both in the team’s offense and the team’s place in the Super Bowl conversation. And don’t expect him to be shy in discussing it.
“This is going to be the best year, all 17 [games],” he added. “I’ve had three major injuries, one took me two years to recover from and was one not a lot of people come back from. I don’t see that as a long list of injuries ... but I know how it goes.
“Now, excuse my language, I could give a s--- what people say, I know the truth and I’m just working every day, and I promise you -- promise -- this will be the best year yet.”
