Even though we’re past the busiest days of free agency, some potentially high-level players who have yet to find a new home are still on the market.
Bleacher Report did fans a favor by matching some of the available free agents to every NFL team in an article published last week.
Among those free agents are some former stars who may have gas left in the tank, such as Amari Cooper, Aaron Rodgers, Nick Chubb, and Von Miller. In particular, Bleacher Report has one pairing that has been heavily predicted by the media all offseason: the idea of former Los Angeles Charger J.K. Dobbins landing in Denver.
The idea of the 26-year-old Dobbins signing with Denver is fascinating. On one hand, Dobbins would bring a veteran presence to the Broncos’ young running back room and provide top-tier play. It would also free the Broncos from feeling the need to select a running back in the first round of this year's draft.
On the other hand, Dobbins has a badly checkered injury history, and there is concern about whether his healthy-ish season last year was just a flash in the pan.
To start, however, it must be made clear how great Dobbins was for the Chargers last season. Once he wrenched the lead role away from Gus Edwards in Week 3, it was off to the races.
In 13 games, Dobbins had 905 rushing yards and nine touchdowns, which would have been good for 1,183 yards and 11 touchdowns had he played a full season. His 69.6 rushing yards per game were the 10th-best mark in the league at running back. His vision, contact balance, and explosiveness through the line of scrimmage were key to the Chargers offensive attack. This game-winning touchdown from Week 11 puts all of these features on clear display.
Now for the negatives. Dobbins has never played a full season in his career, with his highest mark being 15 games in his rookie year. Dobbins has suffered two disastrous injuries since he was drafted, tearing his ACL, LCL, meniscus, and hamstring in 2021, then tearing his Achilles in 2023.
Considering the shelf life of running backs in the NFL, it could be wise for Denver to let another team sign Dobbins. We’ve seen too many running backs come off of great seasons and hit an athletic wall, with Dalvin Cook being a recent example.
However, the idea of a healthy Dobbins in Sean Payton’s offense may be too tantalizing for Denver to pass on. Considering the success the Broncos' offense had last season without a top talent at running back, it’s easy to believe Dobbins could help propel them to the top of the AFC.
