Broncos’ J.K. Dobbins looking to rush for 100 yards against his former Chargers
ENGLEWOOD — It’s not exactly a Joe Namath-caliber guarantee, but J.K. Dobbins has set his sights on doing something against his old team.
The running back is in his first season with the Broncos after playing last year for the Los Angeles Chargers. He has a goal in mind when facing them Sunday at SoFi Stadium.
“Hopefully, I’m going to touch 100 (yards) this week,’’ the six-year veteran said after a practice Thursday at Broncos Park. “However that may be. However many touches that may be. I’m going to try to touch 100 this week, for sure. It would only be right. I’m back to where I used to play.”
Denver Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs the ball during an NFL football game against the Indianapolis Colts, Sunday, Sept. 14, 2025, in Indianapolis. (AP Photo/Zach Bolinger)After signing with the Broncos last June as a free agent, Dobbins has had games of 16 carries for 63 yards in Week 1 against Tennessee and 14 attempts for 76 yards in last Sunday’s 29-28 loss at Indianapolis. He began last season with the Chargers having games of 135 and 131 yards rushing but hasn’t had a 100-yard effort since that second one on Sept. 15, 2024.
Dobbins led the Chargers last season in rushing with 905 yards while missing four games due to a sprained knee, but it remains unclear how much they wanted him back after he became a free agent in March. The Chargers that month signed free-agent running back Najee Harris away from Pittsburgh on a one-year, $5.25 million deal and then in April took running back Omarion Hampton with the No. 20 pick in the first round out of North Carolina.
The Chargers, though, did place a little-used unrestricted free-agent tender on Dobbins, which meant if he remained unsigned by training camp, they would have exclusive negotiating rights with him. That became moot when Dobbins on June 11 signed a one-year, $2.065 million deal with Denver that could be worth more with incentives. Dobbins then called the Chargers’ tender “a little weird” and said “they got to see me twice a year.”
“It’s in the past,’’ Dobbins said about that Thursday. “I’m here. I’m a Bronco. Trying to do well this year. I’m trying to be everything that I did last year for those guys. They hit me with the tag. It doesn’t matter any more. It’s time to play ball.”
Dobbins insisted the Chargers wanted him back after last season.
“They did, yeah, of course,’’ he said. “But we just didn’t see eye-to-eye and business is business. They did what they had to do. I did what I had to do. They absolutely wanted me, but we just didn’t see eye-to-eye business-wise.”
Asked if that had to do with salary, Dobbins said, “Something like that.”
Dobbins stopped short of saying it will be a revenge game Sunday, and spoke fondly of the Chargers’ fans.
“I had a special season last year, so it’s a special place to me, SoFi and the fans and L.A., but I’m just going there to win the game,’’ he said. “I’m going to do whatever it takes to win the game.”
Broncos defensive end John Franklin-Myers heard what Dobbins said Thursday, but believes Dobbins indeed is seeking revenge.
“I don’t think he needs a speech or any motivational talk this week,’’ Franklin-Myers said. “I want revenge just as much as he does for him.”
Dobbins has been a popular guy this week on the Broncos (1-1). Several players have talked about having sought him out to get pointers on the Chargers (2-0).
“Obviously, he’ll know some stuff,’’ said tight end Adam Trautman. “But they can always switch it up, and they’re not stupid, and they know that we have a guy that they had. He’ll definitely give pointers, I’m sure, to the defense more specifically.”
Dobbins spent just last season with the Chargers, and that he missed only four games was actually regarded as a positive. After being taken by Baltimore in the second round of the 2020 draft out of Ohio State, he had an injury-riddled four seasons with the Ravens.
Dobbins did play in 15 games as a rookie and rushed for 805 yards while averaging a sparkling 6.0 per carry. But Dobbins then got into just nine games in the next three seasons, having injuries that included a torn ACL and torn Achilles tendon.
With the Broncos looking to keep wear and tear off Dobbins, 26, he appeared briefly in just one preseason game and didn’t have a carry. He has been solid in the first two regular-season games, scoring on a 19-yard run in the 20-12 win over the Titans and on a 5-yard run against the Colts.
“He’s been everything we’ve hoped he would be,’’ Trautman said.
Dobbins entered the season having a higher career yards-per-carry average than the legendary Jim Brown, 5.249 to 5.219, which he called “crazy to hear.” Having averaged 4.633 yards per carry in the first two games, Dobbins has dropped behind Brown with a 5.209 average but he has vowed to up that number.
“The average is the average because I put in the work,’’ said Dobbins, who has 459 career carries for 2,391 yards, numbers far less than the 2,359 attempts for 12,312 yards Brown had for Cleveland from 1957-65. “And it shows up on the field. … I was at 6 (yards per carry) at one point. So I’m going to try to get back to that.
“I can do things better to get more yards.. We’ll see. I’m going to keep climbing and keep working on it. … I can break more tackles. I can break more long runs. … Hopefully, I get back to (6 yards per carry). That would be amazing.’’
Well, if Dobbins can average 6 on Sunday, he would need just 17 carries to get to 100 yards.
