After the team hosted Dobbins for a visit earlier this offseason, the hype train for him to land in Kansas City isn’t slowing down.
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The Kansas City Chiefs’ running back room is down one contributor from a season ago, even with Clyde Edwards-Helaire being brought back for another year. Jerick McKinnon remains a free agent, although there hasn’t been any indication that he’s set to return for 2024-25.
Kansas City hosted free agent J.K. Dobbins for a visit earlier this offseason but the former Baltimore Ravens standout left town without a contract. Could or should that change soon? One outlet believes so.
In a recent article for Bleacher Report, David Kenyon takes a look at “bargain” free agent deals for five of the better remaining players on the open market. The Chiefs are his pick for Dobbins, citing a contender as a situation that makes sense for a bounce-back type offering. His projection is a one-year, $2 million contract.
“Injuries, man,” Kenyon began. “The worst. J.K. Dobbins put together a strong debut in 2020, rushing for 805 yards at 6.0 per carry and scoring nine touchdowns. He looked like he’d be a regular contributor for the Baltimore Ravens in future years. Instead, two significant knee injuries and an Achilles tear have limited him to nine appearances over the last three seasons.
“That injury history is a concern, for sure. Dobbins is only 25, though, and he excelled when available in 2020 and 2022. It’s too early for everyone to look past a runner of his caliber, especially a playoff/Super Bowl contender that can afford the attached risk. Dobbins likely won’t command a multi-year offer, but he could put himself back in that picture with a healthy and productive 2024.”
The last time Dobbins was healthy, he reminded everyone of why he’s respected throughout the league. In just eight games during the 2022-23 regular season, he amassed 520 rushing yards while averaging 5.7 yards per attempt. As a rookie, he averaged just over six yards per touch and had nine all-purpose touchdowns. In just 24 career regular-season games, the former second-round pick has managed to build quite a reputation.
Easily the most pressing issue with Dobbins, however, is that he can’t seem to stay on the field. A multitude of injuries has limited his availability during his rookie contract, culminating with the aforementioned torn Achilles in Week 1 of last season. While he’s still just 25 years old and should return to form athletically, it’s worth questioning if Dobbins can ever prove to be durable.
Kenyon’s $2M price point is far from high-risk, sure. But the mere idea of Dobbins and Edwards-Helaire has led many (including my Arrowhead Report colleague Joshua Brisco) to assess whether the juice is worth the squeeze. It is, in this writer’s estimation, although the Chiefs would be playing with fire in the backfield.
The upside of a healthy Dobbins, seemingly equal parts dream and reality, complementing the rest of the room is immense. If the projected contract was close to his actual market value, Kansas City should be willing to roll the dice.