Ravens rookie RB J.K. Dobbins’ role on offense will continue to evolve
The Pittsburgh Steelers hadn’t allowed a single player rush for over 100 or more yards against them during their perfect 7-0 start to the 2020 season until they faced off with their Baltimore Ravens in Week Eight and rookie J.K. Dobbins racked up 113 yards on 15 carries, averaging 7.5 yards per carry in the process.
In his post-game press conference Head Coach John Harbaugh said that he nor any other member of the team and coaching staff were surprised by the breakout game of the former Ohio State Buckeye who they selected in the second round of this year’s draft.
Dobbins has been turning heads since he stepped on the practice field during training camp and in limited opportunities prior to his big day against the Ravens’ bitter division rivals he has looked every bit as dynamic and explosive as he has in practice.
After becoming the first Ravens running back to rush for 100 or more yards this season in his first game with extended action due to the high ankle sprain on veteran starter Mark Ingram, some are wondering if he will become more of a staple in the offense moving forward.
“I think J.K.’s doing a really good job,” Ravens Offensive Coordinator Greg Roman said Thursday. “We like all our backs and every week it will be a little bit different. I think J.K., as was the plan, as we outlined earlier on, his role will evolve as the year goes on.
Roman and the Ravens like to utilize all of their talented backs and by using their current rotation approach, they can keep them fresh and preserve their legs not just during individual games but over the course of the entire season.
Dobbins wasn’t the only Baltimore back to have a productive outing against the Steelers vaunted defense this past Sunday. Even though he didn’t eclipse 100 yards rushing, third-year pro Gus ‘The Bus’ Edwards was a powerful presence in the ground game.
He finished second on the team in carries with 16 and racked up 87 yards, averaged 5.4 yards per carry, and scored a rushing touchdown for the second game in a row.
“That’s not to say our other backs won’t be heavily involved as well,” said Roman. “I thought those guys did a really nice job of complimenting each other last week. We were able to stay fresh. Those guys ran the ball really effectively against a really good defense.”
Ingram will likely miss the Ravens’ Week Nine road trip to face the Indianapolis Professional Football Team since he has yet to practice since before their Week Six win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
That means the tandem of Dobbins and Edwards will have to answer the call once again and if last week’s outing was any indication of what they’re capable of, the resurgent running game will dominate once again.
However, as Dobbins’ role continues to evolve, I truly believe the consistency, efficiency, and explosiveness of this offense will improve during the second half of the season.
He is the Ravens’ primary passing catching back and could help improve the passing game as well by getting more screens called to get him into open space with a convoy of blockers.
