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Ravens to hold out running back J.K. Dobbins in Week 1 opener vs. Jets, per report

Sun, Sep 11, 2022
NFL News (AP)

The Ravens will begin the 2022 season without running back J.K. Dobbins. The third-year back told ESPN that Baltimore has decided to keep him off the field for the opener against the New York Jets as he continues to work his way back from a torn ACL he suffered last summer. Dobbins was officially listed as questionable for this matchup after being a limited participant in practice all week.'

This had been a likely outcome for Dobbins as there were questions throughout the summer as to whether or not he'd be fully ready to go for the opener. Earlier this week, quarterback Lamar Jackson seemed to tip the team's hand with their decision on Dobbins, saying: "He's looking pretty good. Hopefully, he'll be out here in a couple of weeks." '

That said, it doesn't sound like his return to the field is too far off and this could simply be a case where the Ravens are being cautious with their star back. Dobbins, who has been eager to get back onto the field, also told ESPN that he'd make his return "soon."'

"I do like what I've seen so far," head coach Jim Harbaugh told reporters of Dobbins' progress on Wednesday. "He's really ascending quickly, especially in the last week, week-and-a-half."

When healthy, the former second-round pick out of Ohio State has shown that he can be a legit top-tier weapon in Baltimore's offense. During his rookie season, he rushed for 805 yards on a six-yards per carry clip and found the end zone nine times.'

With Dobbins on the shelf, the Ravens will enter Week 1 with Mike Davis, Kenyan Drake, and Justice Hill as their available backs.'