Getty Ravens RB JK Dobbins reacts to carrying the ball in a regular season game on October 02, 2022.
Not receiving a heavy or even full workload is something that Baltimore Ravens starting running back J.K. Dobbins is all too familiar with but not necessarily comfortable with.
Unlike his rookie year in 2020 when he had veteran running Mark Ingram fresh off a Pro Bowl season ahead of him on the depth chart, he is the team’s clear-cut starter. However, he isn’t receiving true No.1 running back carries and touches because he is coming off a major knee injury in which he suffered damage to multiple ligaments that included his ACL, PCL, and meniscus.
The third-year pro is his most efficient rushing performance since returning from his injury in which he ran for a season-high 44 yards on eight carries. The week prior in another big AFC matchup against the Buffalo Bills, he recorded a season-high in scrimmage yards (63), receiving yards (22), and total touches (17), and scored his first two touchdowns of the season in the first half.
“I gotta keep doing that,” Dobbins said in a press conference on Thursday, October 13, 2022. “Whether it’s the organization protecting me and being very cautious—which I really appreciate cause I could be somewhere where they don’t care about me but they do here. And sometimes it can be hard as an athlete and a competitor that I am, because I want to be the best. I just have to keep being patient and keep working hard and whenever my numbers called I do what I do.”
He also told reporters that he had never gotten more than 15 carries in a game in his entire career and that while he knows patience is a virtue, he longs for the time when he will be allowed to shoulder a more substantial workload.
“I just [have] to keep performing. Just, keep performing,” Dobbins said. “Whenever they want to let me out the cage, it’ll be the right time and I trust them. As long as we keep winning, I’m fine.”
Ravens offensive coordinator Greg Roman has liked what he has seen from his top back since returning to the fold and feels like ” he took a huge step forward last week” in the win over the Bengals.
“His running style, where he’s at. The running play where he broke like three tackles and got us a first down. That’s the J.K. Dobbins we’re accustomed to seeing, so that was great,” Roman said in a press conference on October 13, 2022.
Gus Edwards is “Getting Close”
Ravens head coach John Harbaugh still believes that the team’s rushing attack is “still a work in progress” and that it is “coming together”. A huge part of the progression of the run game in addition to Dobbins returning to full strength slowly but surely is the offense getting the other key pieces of their backfield back from injury.
Fifth-year pro and former undrafted gem, Gus Edwards, just completed his second week of practice coming off a torn ACL that cost him the entire 2021 season. Although he still remains on the Physically Unable to Perform list, Edwards’ inevitable return could be on the horizon.
“He’s doing well,” Harbaugh said in a press conference on October 14, 2022. “He looks good, it’s just a matter of when is he really ready to play at a high level. I do believe he’s getting close.”
Edwards isn’t the only injured Ravens running back that took a step toward returning to the field this week. Fourth-year pro Justice Hill looked the like the Ravens best running back before he went down with a hamstring injury in the fourth quarter of the team’s Week 4 loss to the Bills that caused him to sit out in Week 5.
“He’s doing great, and [we’re] just going to see how he’s feeling,” Harbaugh said.
Despite being a limited participant in practice on Thursday and Friday, he was still listed as doubtful to play on the final injury report and will likely miss his second straight game.
Devin Duvernay’s Emergence Has Been “Huge” For Offense
The player that has taken the biggest step on either side of the ball for the Ravens this year by far has been the third-year pro who has gone from a dangerous returner on special teams to a lethal all-purpose weapon with the way he has consistently made plays on offense.
According to Pro Football Reference, he leads the Ravens receivers in receiving touchdowns with three, has rushed for 22 yards on five carries, and his 524 all-purpose yards rank in the top 10 of the entire league. Duvernay also ranks third in the league in combined return yards (264) and recorded the longest kick return (103) and second-longest punt return (43).
“He just has this sense about him, especially this year, but [he’s been] extremely focused,” tight end Mark Andrews said in a press conference on October 12, 2022. “He’s doing his thing; he’s playing really, really well in all phases of the ball.”
The two-time Pro Bowler praised his fellow 2021 First-Team All-Pro selection for his humility, team-first mentality, and willingness to do whatever is asked of him to help put the team in the best position to succeed.
“He just wants to go to work, do his job and win some football games, which is an awesome teammate to have,” Andrews said. “I love ‘Duv’, and I love everything that he stands for.”
With No. 1 wideout Rashod Bateman out in Week 5, Duvernay stepped up big and shined in a multidimensional role similar to the way the San Fransico 49ers utilized Deebo Samuels by recorded 78 yards from scrimmage on eight combined touches.
Devin Duvernay makes a ridiculous play every single week
The Ravens made sure Devin Duvernay touched the ball three times on their opening drive
He’s also leading all WRs in EPA per target
Monitoring!
Roman who is the one who draws and dials up the creative plays in which Duvernay gets the ball in his hands believes that he is “really coming into his own” and is “doing a great job” in an “expanded” role.
“[I’m] really proud of what he’s doing, excited for him, and we’re really, as I said, we’re definitely expanding his portfolio in terms of what we’re asking him to do and different things we can do with him,” Roman said.
“He’s starting to appear like he’s a vet, like a veteran receiver, and special teamer and Swiss Army knife. So, he’s really a confident guy, and it’s great to see. That’s what you want.”
When asked if he expected this to be a big breakout year for what has been one of his most productive targets and fellow ballcarrier, Jackson proclaimed that he “absolutely” saw it coming.
“Duv is an all-around type of player,” the MVP frontrunner said in a press conference on October 12, 2022. “He can catch the ball out of the backfield, run great routes, catch the ball at the receiver position; I’ve [always] known that. I’ve been telling you guys how ‘Duv’ was, but we’ve just got to keep it going, though.”
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J.K. Dobbins Wants To Be Let “Out The Cage” At The Right Time