Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins will not be able to help revitalize the team’s offense, as he was placed on the injured reserve list, the team announced on Saturday. This decision likely ends Dobbins’ season, unless the Broncos make it to the Super Bowl. Dobbins suffered the injury in the third quarter of last week’s victory against the Las Vegas Raiders and has already undergone surgery. The player, who is on a one-year contract, has been unable to train since the injury. This means the Broncos (8-2) will be without their starting running back on Sunday when they face the Kansas City Chiefs at Empower Field at Mile High. Dobbins, with 772 rushing yards and an average of 5.05 yards per carry this season, expressed his desire to be part of the solution to the team’s offensive problems.
Dobbins has 21 runs of at least 10 yards this season, the fifth-most in the league. Dobbins’ injury puts the focus on rookie RJ Harvey, a second-round pick by the Broncos last April. Harvey has 50 carries for 214 yards, plus 25 receptions, and the team’s longest run this season, a 50-yarder against the Tennessee Titans in Week 1. Definitely excited to show my ability to run… [but] whatever Coach [Payton] wants me to do, I’m willing to do it. In addition to his work as a runner, Dobbins was considered by the Broncos’ coaches to be the most reliable runner in pass protection. The Broncos will also have Jaleel McLaughlin and Tyler Badie in the rotation. McLaughlin, who surpassed 400 rushing yards in each of the previous two seasons after entering the roster as an undrafted rookie in 2023, has had one carry this season, against the New York Jets in Week 6.This is probably the best team I’ve been on, and we owe it to the fans, we owe it to ourselves, to stop playing the way we’re playing. We have to get better; we simply have to get better. Eventually, it will bite us in the ass. And that’s not what I want, it’s not what my teammates want, and we’re going to fix it.
J.K. Dobbins
Dobbins is one of three Broncos starters who will miss Sunday’s game. Linebacker Alex Singleton, the team’s leading tackler, and reigning Defensive Player of the Year Pat Surtain II were also ruled out on Friday. Singleton underwent surgery on Monday to remove a cancerous tumor from a testicle, and Surtain will miss his third game with a pectoral injury. Overall, the Broncos’ injury report is more extensive for the matchup with the Chiefs than it has been for most of the season. Outside linebacker Jonah Elliss (hamstring), who is a rotational pass rusher for the defense, and tight end Nate Adkins (knee) have also been ruled out. The good news for the Broncos is that wide receiver Marvin Mims Jr., a two-time Pro Bowl selection as a returner, has practiced all week and is ready to play against Kansas City after missing two games due to a concussion.McLaughlin is ready.
Sean Payton
