Whoever is reading this needs to stop right now and knock on wood.
Now that we’ve got that out of the way, it’s no secret that J.K. Dobbins will play a crucial role in the success of the offense and the Denver Broncos this season. Specifically, his health and staying on the field.
We don’t need to revisit it, since it’s well known at this point. Most recently, Dobbins had the fluke Lisfranc injury that ended his season and kept him out of the playoff run. Had he been available for the AFC Championship
Game, who knows how that would have changed the outcome?
This year, the Dobbins injury curse ends.
After the first day of Broncos training camp, the Denver running back made a promise.
“I know a lot of people will always say, ‘Oh, he’s good for the first 10 weeks,’” Dobbins said to the media on Friday. “I’ll be in the top three the first 10 weeks, right? ‘Dude, he does this every time.’ Well, this year, forget the top three. I keep saying it, and people will think I’m crazy, but I’m going to be No. 1. And I’m going to keep it there for the whole year. Seventeen games.
“A lot of people will always get mad when I say, yeah, the injuries are over because I said it last year. That one was pretty fluky. This year, there won’t be any (injuries). There won’t be anything for anyone to say about my injuries because I’m going to play all 17 games, and I’m going to give my team everything I’ve got for all 17 games. And I will be there for all 17 games. I’ll pinky promise all of you right now about that.”
If Dobbins is able to make good on his promise, the Broncos will win a lot of games in 2026.
Prior to his injury against the Las Vegas Raiders, Dobbins was one of the best running backs in the NFL. And as he said, this seems to always happen.
So what has Dobbins done to end his run of bad injury luck?
“When I was younger, I could do the splits,” Dobbins said to the media. “I think I lost a little bit of that flexibility; I just wasn’t paying attention to it as much. Now I’m back to that. And back to my college weight. And I’m doing all the little things that’s going to, even if it’s some fluky stuff about to happen, I’m going to be like Elastiboy or Elastigirl. I’ll be over bouncing back up from it. Like, if I get hip-drop tackled, I’ll be like, I can touch my head with the back of my foot. And get back up.”
What you have to admire about Dobbins is his positive attitude. No matter what, he’ll just keep going.
“I just can’t stop. I can’t lose. It’s just … I don’t want to let myself down either,” Dobbins said. “I’ve had the three big injuries, the knee first, which took like a couple of surgeries to clean up and get back to myself, I had the Achilles, and then I had the foot last year. I never really cared about it because I’m going to come back, and I’m going to be better. I’m going to keep doing it. Whatever life throws at you, you can’t give up, right? It’s a thing that I learned for the long haul, not just football. You get knocked down. Just keep getting back up.”
Dobbins’ attitude and what he brings to the offense explain why the Broncos brought him back this offseason.
As head coach Sean Payton said to the media on Thursday:
“There’s a lot to him, and when you’re evaluating the type of injury he had, how it happened, and what he brings to the team, we had strong opinions (General Manager) George (Paton) and I, and the rest of the group about re-signing him. He was a big part of why we won 14 games last year, and sometimes that can get lost in the narrative. Certainly, he’s been injured, and yet what we were able to do when he was healthy had a lot to do with where we ended up, so it was unfortunate. I believe in the player a lot. That room has gotten markedly better from what I remember in 2023.”
Plus, Dobbins believes this was always in the cards.
“This organization is amazing,” Dobbins said. “I was born to be a Bronco. I know I was drafted to the Ravens and played for the Chargers for one year, but I think I’m truly a Bronco. All roads led to here. I said last year I had to get over the mountain to get here. And I’m here. And I’m here to stay.
Now it’s a matter of Dobbins finally staying on the field.
“I talked to somebody who said things come in threes,” Dobbins said to the media. “All on my left leg, I’ve had the knee, the Achilles, and the foot. It’s over. Whoever has my doll, on the left side, they’re done. Like, it’s just done. You’ll see.”
It can’t hurt to knock on some wood again.
