JK Dobbins questionable to return in first game back from injury

Baltimore Ravens running back JK Dobbins is questionable to return to Sunday’s season opener versus the Houston Texans after injuring his ankle.

He had eight rushes for 22 yards and one touchdown during the game.

Dobbins dealt with a knee injury during camp. He has also spent much of the last two seasons on the sidelines dealing with various injuries.

RB J.K. Dobbins (ankle) is questionable to return.

— Baltimore Ravens (@Ravens) September 10, 2023

“I feel amazing,” Dobbins said when he first talked to the media after being activated in August from the Physically Unable to Perform list. “I feel pretty dang good. I’m just gonna leave it at that because I feel so good.”

Head coach John Harbaugh was also excited about getting Dobbins back over the summer.

“It feels good to have him back here on the field,” Harbaugh said. “He’s excited. We’re all excited. We’ll probably ramp him up a little bit this week and work him in there and try to be smart in how we do it, but he’ll be fine. He’s 100% healthy. He looks good, [and] he’s been training hard, so he’s ready to go.”

That includes a torn ACL injury suffered during the 2021 preseason that left him out for the year.

Dobbins played in only seven games in 2022 after injuries caused him to miss 10 games over multiple stretches during the year. He had 92 carries for 520 rushing yards.

Star quarterback Lamar Jackson discussed how excited he was to see a healthy Dobbins this year earlier in the year in July.

“He means a lot to our offense, man,” Jackson said of his running back during an appearance on the NFL Network over the summer. “He’s one of the guys that sparks the offense, gets us going. When we’re having a slow start sometimes, he gets the ball and makes magic happen. I just can’t wait for him to get back out there on the field with us.”

The Ravens were also without tight end Mark Andrews for the game, who was out with a quadriceps injury.

Dobbins was drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft out of Ohio State. He was the No. 36 overall recruit and No. 5 running back in the 2017 recruiting cycle, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies.

The running back was a three-time All-Big Ten honoree with the Buckeyes.