J.K. Dobbins looks like a “knockoff” of himself three games into the season

J.K. Dobbins has averaged more than 5.0 yards per carry across 617 career attempts. Three games into the 2026 season, that number has dropped drastically.

Dobbins has just 121 yards on 35 carries, which works out to 3.5 yards per attempt. He also has just four first downs, zero touchdowns and one fumble. He left the Week 2 win over Jacksonville early with what was first reported as a possible hamstring injury, and he didn’t miss a game. But on Sunday night against the Rams, he ran 17 times for only 49 yards.

On a recent edition of “Dover and Cecil” on 104.3 The Fan, Cecil Lammey asked the question directly.

“Why can’t they run the ball with J.K. Dobbins?” Lammey said.

He then went through the usual explanations one at a time.

“Is it the line? No, they’re top-10 in run block win rate. Is it schematically? Maybe sometimes, like you said, some of those third and ones. I did see J.K. dance way too much last night,” Lammey said.

The blocking stats matter here. If the line is winning its run blocks and the back still can’t get going, most of the blame shifts to the back. Lammey said Dobbins’ hesitation in short-yardage spots was the clearest example.

“Get the ball, hit the hole. Stop dancing. You’re not gonna reverse your field. You’re not gonna do any of these things. Like, J.K. should know better than that,” Lammey said.

That doesn’t sound like the player who broke out in Denver last season. At his best, Dobbins was decisive and explosive. The kind of runner who turned a small crease into a real gain. Lammey doesn’t think the player he’s watching now is that same back.

“But point-blank period, J.K. doesn’t look like J.K.,” Lammey said.

He also offered a theory for why.

“J.K. looks like a knockoff of J.K. because I think either he is currently hurt, or it’s the compilation of all the injuries that have caused him to be just this player,” Lammey said.

Either answer is a problem for the Broncos. A current injury would explain why he’s hesitating and has lost his burst. The long-term effect of years of injuries would be harder to fix. RJ Harvey is waiting behind him, so Dobbins may not have many more weeks to prove he’s still the back Broncos Country knows he could be.

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