ENGLEWOOD, Colo. (AP) — J.K. Dobbins is counting on his flexibility and faith to outrun his injury history.
The Denver Broncos starting running back had a blown-out knee in Baltimore in 2021, a torn Achilles in 2023 and a broken foot last year in Denver. Yet, he's pledging he'll play all 17 games for the first time in his career and lead the league in rushing.
"A lot of people always get mad when I say the injuries are over, because I said it last year,
but that one was pretty fluky,” Dobbins said of the Lisfranc injury that ended his first season in Denver after 10 games. "This year there won’t be any, and there won’t be anything for anyone to say about my injuries because I’m going to play all 17 games ... I can pinky promise all of you right now.”
How can he be so sure that something fluky won't happen again, given the inherent peril of his position?
“So, like, when I was younger, I could do the splits, right?” Dobbins said. “I think I lost a little bit of that flexibility. I just wasn’t paying attention to it as much. So now I’m back to that, and back to my college ways. And I did all the little things, and I’m doing all the little things that’s going to keep me, like — even if it’s some fluky stuff that’s about to happen — I’m going to be like Elasti-Boy, or Elasti-Girl, or something like that.
“I’ll be over there, bounce back up from it. Like, if I get hip-drop tackled, I can tuck my head to the back of my foot and I’ll get back up.”
That hip-drop tackle by former Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson caught Dobbins' left foot underneath him and ended his blistering 2025 season in which he rushed for 772 yards, fifth-most in the league at the time, and gave Denver an explosive threat in the backfield for the first time in the Sean Payton era.
Dobbins also cited his faith for his confidence that he'll play every game this season, even though he hasn't played in more than 13 games since his rookie year.
“I prayed on it," he said. "The storm can’t last forever. I’m from Texas, born in Houston, and we get hurricanes, right? The storm can be long. It can be very dangerous. It can be dark for a long time. You don’t know when you’re going to get power. But they never last forever.”
When healthy, Dobbins is one of the NFL's most productive running backs on a per-touch basis. His 5.2-yard career average is the third-highest since his rookie year in 2020, trailing only Miami's De'Von Achane (5.6) and Detroit's Jahmyr Gibbs (5.3).
That, along with his magnetic locker room personality, led the Broncos to re-sign Dobbins to a two-year, $8 million deal last spring that could balloon to $20 million with incentives.
“He was a big part of why we won 14 games last year,” Payton said. “Sometimes that can get lost. The narrative is certainly that 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."
Dobbins noted that all his major injuries — an ACL and MCL tear in 2021, an Achilles tear in 2023 and last year's Lisfranc — all were on his left leg. He suggested whoever's poking needles into his voodoo doll has run out of spots to jab.
“I keep saying it, and people think I’m crazy, but I’m going to be No. 1 (in rushing), and I’m going to keep it there for the whole year,” Dobbins said.
Teammate Alex Singleton figures Dobbins is in for a big year in 2026 given his history of comebacks.
“To do what he’s been able to do coming off injuries, I know people want to knock him for the injuries, but I would say it’s almost the opposite. His ability to recover is also crazy because every time, he’s come back stronger than he was before," Singleton said. "That’s what he’s expecting and that’s what we’re expecting.”
Dobbins said he keeps on going because he's been blessed with a dogged determination.
“I never really care about it because I’m going to come back, and I’m going to be better," he said. "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.”
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