JK Dobbins couldn't finish practice on Monday, and for anyone who has followed his career, the sinking feeling was immediate. Reporters at Broncos camp saw him exit the field with trainers, and it didn't take long for the diagnosis to filter out.
Sean Payton confirmed the issue is a soft tissue injury, according to Broncos reporter Parker Gabriel. Soft tissue injuries -- strains, pulls, that kind of thing -- are usually the good news version of a training camp scare, but with Dobbins, nothing is ever that simple.
That's because Dobbins has essentially never had a full, healthy season. A Grade 3 ACL/LCL/hamstring blowout wiped out most of 2021 and 2022 in Baltimore. An Achilles tear ended his 2023 in Week 1. He finally strung together a strong, mostly-healthy year with the Chargers in 2024 before an MCL sprain popped up late in the season. Then in his first year in Denver, Dobbins made it just 10 games before landing on injured reserve with a Lisfranc injury, per NFL.com. Denver still bet on him this offseason, signing him to a two-year, $16 million extension.
Sean Payton has publicly said he expects Dobbins to be fine, but his practice reps ahead of Friday's preseason opener against the Falcons are now in question, according to CBS Sports. If he's limited, RJ Harvey, Jonah Coleman and Jaleel McLaughlin are all lined up to soak up extra carries behind him.
Dobbins wasn't the only name popping up on the injury report Monday. Christian McCaffrey has tightness, Alec Pierce is still out, Luther Burden has a groin issue, DeVonta Smith and Makai Lemon are both banged up with hamstrings, and Rashee Rice reportedly looked like he's moving in slow motion. It's a reminder that this time of year, half the injury news around the league is just camp attrition -- but for Dobbins specifically, it's part of a pattern the Broncos can't ignore.
Christian McCaffrey has tightness JK Dobbins has soft tissue injury Alec Pierce still not practicing Luther Burden groin injury DeVonta Smith hamstring injury Makai Lemon hamstring injury Rashee Rice moves like a grandpa fun. We’re having fun!
For now, this reads as a scare more than a crisis -- Payton's tone was optimistic, and soft tissue injuries don't typically require the same long layoffs as the structural damage Dobbins has dealt with in years past. But given his track record, Denver's coaching staff and fantasy managers alike will be watching every practice report the rest of the week before exhaling.