In normal circumstances, a guy just going through what looked like a normal warm up before a work out on the sideline wouldn’t raise too many eyebrows.
These, my friends, are not normal circumstances.
The Denver Broncos seemed to get some positive injury news on Wednesday, January 14, ahead of their AFC Divisional Round game and playoff opener against the Buffalo Bills on January 17 (4:30 p.m. EST, CBS), when injured running back J.K. Dobbins did some light work at practice.
Dobbins suffered what was thought to be a season-ending foot injury in Week 10 against the Las Vegas Raiders on an illegal, hip-drop tackle by Tyree Wilson.
Dobbins was placed on injured reserve on November 15.
“Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins was doing side-field rehab work at practice today,” The Denver Post’s Luca Evans wrote on X. “First time I’ve seen him out and over there since he went on IR in November.”
The Broncos have the No. 1 seed in the AFC Playoffs and home field advantage throughout the postseason.
“Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins was spotted on the side field at practice today,” Preme Football wrote on its official X account. “Dobbins was doing individual work for the first time since being placed on IR. That said, if Denver makes a deep run, there’s at least a chance he could factor into the AFC Championship Game or beyond. Dobbins was placed on IR after suffering a foot ligament injury on Nov. 6 that required surgery … For now, it’s a long-shot scenario, but seeing Dobbins working on the field at all is a major development.”
Dobbins on Pace for 1,000-Yard Season Before Injury
Dobbins was on pace to become the team’s first 1,000-yard rusher since 2019, with 772 rushing yards and 4 touchdowns through 10 games and averaged a robust 5.0 yards per carry.
Before the injury, Dobbins represented a pretty robust return on investment for the Broncos, who signed him to a 1-year, $2 million contract on June 10.
With Dobbins and rookie second round pick RJ Harvey, the Broncos have gone from having arguably the NFL’s worst rushing attack in 2024 to having one of its best with Dobbins and Harvey both healthy.
Denver has still been formidable with just Harvey, who rushed for over 1,400 yards in each of his final 2 seasons at UCF and had 896 yards from scrimmage and 12 total touchdowns in 2025.
One and Done in Denver for Dobbins Possible
Whether Dobbins returns for speculative appearances in the AFC Championship Game or the Super Bowl, there’s a good possibility this is his lone season in Denver.
As long as he’s healthy, it would be difficult to envision the Broncos not having Harvey as the featured back in 2026. Conversely, Dobbins may have done enough to earn another 1-year contract somewhere else.
Bleacher Report’s Alex Kay predicts Dobbins will join the Dallas Cowboys and become the second Broncos running back in as many years to do so following Javonte Williams, who cracked 1,000 rushing yards for the first time in his career with the Cowboys in 2025.
“Dobbins will be well worth rolling the dice on for a cash-strapped club like the Dallas Cowboys,” Kay wrote on December 30. “The team could be priced out of retaining Javonte Williams and will want to make up that lost production by coming to terms on a cheap, incentive-laden deal with Dobbins.”
Broncos Get Positive Update on Injured RB J.K. Dobbins