Sean Payton’s offense gets deeper with the addition of J.K. Dobbins; as does the arsenal of running backs in the AFC West.
The AFC West has earned plenty of titles over the last handful of years for the division’s dominant play. But with rookies Ashton Jeanty, Omarion Hampton and R.J. Harvey now calling it home, in addition to veterans Najee Harris and Isiah Pacheco, perhaps it’s best referred to as “The division of running backs“.
Add J.K. Dobbins to that list, too, who signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos on Tuesday.
In just one year’s time, the running back landscape in the AFC West has become vastly different. Denver has played a major role in making that happen.
The duo have Javonte Williams and Jaleel McLaughlin have been replaced with rookie R.J. Harvey and productive veteran J.K. Dobbins, the latter who rushed for a league-leading 266 yards through the first two weeks of his ’24 campaign.
For Dobbins, the questions have always been health related. The 26-year-old compiled 10 starts throughout the entirety of his career in the National Football League prior to this past season.
Even in 2024, Dobbins was only healthy enough to start in 11-of-17 contests.
Be that as it may, there’s a distinct difference with his situation in Denver compared to his previous stints elsewhere. With the Broncos, Harvey is gearing up to be the club’s premier back, placing Dobbins in a more-limited role.
And, of course, more limitation translates to more freshness, granting less opportunity to suffer injuries.
Denver joins the Las Vegas Raiders and Los Angeles Chargers on the list of AFC West teams who figure to have a monstrous one-two punch in the backfield this upcoming season. With the big play ability of Elijah Mitchell, perhaps the Chiefs will join their division-mates in that regard.
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