NFL Trade Rumors
One of the most surprising outcomes of the offseason for me personally has been how RB J.K. Dobbins has remained unsigned for so long despite coming off of a career season. Injuries derailed the first four years of Dobbins’ career, including multiple knee surgeries and a torn Achilles in 2023. He fought through all of that and seized the opportunity with the Chargers last year, rushing for 905 yards in 13 games with nine touchdowns at 4.6 yards a pop.
Perhaps the league is spooked by the injury history. Dobbins did miss time last year with a knee injury and even though he’s just 26 years old he has the injury history of a much older player. There also just wasn’t much excitement about most of the free agent backs this year, though I think Dobbins would have been an upgrade over some players who have already signed.
Ultimately, Dobbins is accustomed to fighting through adversity at this point, and last year proved he’s too talented not to find a job. The Chargers agreed, using the obscure unrestricted free agent tender to potentially keep him in the fold.
The UFA tender is actually worth digging into a little more, because it was used twice this year after not being used since 2022 on Melvin Ingram and Justin Houston. The way it works is a team can use it once on an unrestricted free agent who remains unsigned in May when the qualifying period for compensatory free agents ends. The tender is worth 110 percent of the player’s salary the year before. It does not prevent a player from continuing to explore his options until July 22 — the Browns used the tender on WR Elijah Moore this year and he went on to sign a deal with the Bills — but it provides a floor for the player’s market and allows him to continue to count in the compensatory formula for his former team.
In Dobbins’ case, the UFA tender is worth $1.644 million. If no other team is willing to pay more than that, Dobbins will most likely remain with the Chargers as the No. 3 back behind first-rounder Omarion Hampton and free agent addition Najee Harris. It’s a quality stable of runners for Los Angeles, which ideally wants to be one of the run-heaviest offenses in football. It’s less ideal for anyone invested in Dobbins getting a shot to shine and prove he’s worth a bigger contract.
The timing of the tender also means it’s far less likely an injury to another backfield opens up a spot for Dobbins, as training camps won’t begin until after July 22. Dobbins will have to find a place in the current landscape, and unfortunately, the supply of running backs continues to outweigh the demand. Still, there are a few interesting landing spots that could be better fits than the Chargers.
Dobbins, 26, was drafted in the second round out of Ohio State by the Ravens in 2020. He finished the final...
