Ravens Eric DeCosta confident J.K. Dobbins will return to the player he was in rookie season
No team in the NFL experienced injuries like the in 2021, as the franchise had 22 players go on injured reserve last season. Those injuries finally caught up to the Ravens, who were 8-3 and the No. 1 seed in the AFC before losing out to close the year and finish with a losing record -- mi sing the playoffs entirely. was one of the players Baltimore was counting on to carry a rushing attack that averaged 191.9 rushing yards per game last season. Dobbins mi sed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL suffered in preseason, followed by tearing his ACL a Chuck Bednarik Jersey week prior to the regular season starting. tore an Achilles tendon five days later, putting the Ravens down their top three running backs before Andrew Sendejo Jersey the season even started.Ravens general manager Eric DeCosta is looking forward to getting all three of his top backs returning in 2022, specifically Dobbins."It was certainly a big blow losing J.K. Dobbins and then Gus Edwards, and then Justice Hill all three of our guys. Three of our mainstay players, losing those guys in the span of two weeks was very, very challenging as an organization," DeCosta said at the NFL Scouting Combine this week. "Saying that, we are very confident that those guys will all come back this year and play winning football for us. "J.K., specifically, obviously suffered a serious knee injury, but he's a young player. He's a hungry player, and he has a great mindset. He's been working very, very hard, and we are very, very confident that he'll come back and be the type of player that he was two years ago."Dobbins was dominant in his rookie season, leading all NFL running backs in yards per carry (6.01) while setting Reggie White Jersey a Ravens' rookie record with nine rushing touchdowns (third amongst all NFL rookies). His 805 rushing yards were also third among rookie running backs as Dobbins finished with a franchise-record seven consecutive games with a rushing touchdown.Dobbins closed out the regular season with six consecutive games of 50-plus rushing yards and a rushing touchdown, tying Eric Dickerson (1983) and Franco Harris (1972) for the longest rookie streak of its kind since the AFL-NFL merger. Dobbins is one of just six running backs to have 800 rushing yards, nine rushing touchdowns, and 6.0 yards per carry in a season -- and the first rookie to accomplish the feat. The Ravens' rushing attack dipped to 145.8 yards per game in 2021, in part because of the injuries to their top three backs and quarterback . DeCosta says Dobbins is recovering well from his torn ACL and Nigel Bradham Jersey sees him a lot more than usual."The interesting thing a little side note J.K. Dobbins and I, we're neighbors. We live probably a quarter of a mile apart from each other," DeCosta said. "So, he would come over, and we would give him cookies. We'd bring him My wife is kind of like a mother to the players, so she would bring care packages."So, I would see J.K. a lot, and I would also see him at the facility doing his rehab. He's bouncing back and forth between L.A. Los Angeles and Baltimore. Again, I' Philadelphia Eagles Jersey m very confident that he's going to come back and really flourish this year."