J.K. Dobbins entered the 2023 NFL season with high hopes that he would be able to stay healthy.
It appears that he has already been dinged up in the Ravens' season opener.
Dobbins exited the game after being hobbled on a red-zone carry in the early stages of the third quarter. The broadcast showed Dobbins being helped to the locker room by two Ravens staffers.
JK Dobbins to the locker room. Gingerly makes his way down the stairs #ravens pic.twitter.com/DroBQwJGGm
— Bobby Trosset (@bobbybaltimoree) September 10, 2023
Shortly after that, the Ravens deemed Dobbins "questionable" to return with an ankle injury. He was later declared out for the rest of the game.
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And making matters worse, NFL Network's Ian Rapoport reports that the Ravens fear that Dobbins has suffered a torn Achilles. That would end
#Ravens RB JK Dobbins is feared to have suffered a torn Achilles, sources tell me and @TomPelissero. A crushing injury. He’ll have an MRI to confirm.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 10, 2023
Injuries are nothing new for Dobbins. He played in just eight combined games during the 2021 and 2022 seasons because of a torn ACL and complications in his recovery from it.
Now, Baltimore may once again be without him long term; that will mean that the team will have to rely on its depth at running back to once again replace him.
Ravens RB depth chart
The Ravens dressed three running backs for Sunday's game against the Texans. Below is how their depth chart at the position shakes out.
| Rank | Player |
| 1 | J.K. Dobbins |
| 2 | Gus Edwards |
| 3 | Justice Hill |
With Dobbins out of action against the Texans, Edwards and Hill seem likely to split carries the rest of the way. It was actually Hill who came onto the field in the red zone to relieve Dobbins, and he generated a two-yard touchdown run to extend Baltimore's lead to seven.
However, the Ravens attempted a two-point conversion after Hill's score and handed the ball to Edwards. He was able to plunge into the end-zone to extend the lead to nine.
Hill is more of an explosive running back than Edwards, a power runner, so the duo may be utilized situationally. At the very least, it appears that Hill's slipperiness appears to have him in the lead to be a red-zone weapon.
If Dobbins did, indeed, tear his Achilles, the Ravens will have to add another running back to the roster to replace him. They currently have seasoned veteran Melvin Gordon and undrafted rookie Owen Wright on the practice squad, so one of them would likely be called up to replace him; Gordon's experience would likely give him the edge to earn that promotion.
