J.K. Dobbins initially signed a one-year deal with the Denver Broncos back during the 2025 NFL Offseason. In 10 games for the Broncos in 2025, Dobbins ran for nearly 800 yards and was on pace to eclipse 1,300 yards on the ground.
He unfortunately suffered yet another injury, but Dobbins was still able to ink a fresh two-year extension with the team earlier this offseason. The deal is for two years, but if the Broncos wanted to get out of it after one year, that is financially possible.
Well, Dobbins jogged into the locker room during Monday's practice with what head coach Sean Payton called a 'soft tissue' injury. When Dobbins left practice, a bit of chaos ensued, but the running back returned to practice on Tuesday and had a pretty clear message for the media.
Denver Broncos' J.K. Dobbins clearly hears and sees what the media is saying...
It's quite obvious that Dobbins hears the noise and hears people talking about, "here we go again with him getting hurt" line:
JK Dobbins with a message to the Broncos media 🗣️🤣
— DNVR Broncos (@DNVR_Broncos) August 11, 2026
“Y’all don’t got to make the rumor” 👀 pic.twitter.com/HXK9wTI2Kl
It is a legitimate concern, but Dobbins did seem very adamant about remaining healthy for the entire season, actually going as far as to almost playfully 'pinky promising' that he'll stay on the field:
🗣️J.K. Dobbins:
— Guerilla Sports (@guerillasports) July 31, 2026
"I was born to be a Bronco...and I'm gonna play all 17 games this year...I pinky promise you that."#BroncosCountry pic.twitter.com/DvbKOMxrvd
While he's serious about it, Dobbins is also a personality that players gravitate toward, so the comment was also fun. With that said, Dobbins continually being able to return from all of these injuries throughout his career is rather impressive.
He's still among the most efficient running backs in the NFL when healthy. In 2025, Dobbins averaged 5.0 yards per carry and had a success rate of 53.6. The Broncos also added Jonah Coleman to the mix this offseason, so with another pair of legs in the backfield that Denver may be able to count on, Dobbins' chances of remaining healthy for all 17 games are probably the best they've been since his rookie season, when he played a career-high 15 regular season games.
There is a lot to be optimistic about with this room as a whole in 2026, and Dobbins does seem to have a renewed motivation to stay on the field this year. By doing so, he'd prove the Broncos right with the extension they gave him, and he'd also finally get to silence those people who say he can't stay healthy.
Yes, it's largely true, but Dobbins surely wants to stop hearing that noise. He clearly heard what some in Broncos Country were saying when he went down in Monday's practice, so perhaps this added fuel for 2026 can make for his best season yet.
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