Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh will decide if J.K. Dobbins will play ‘by the end of the week’

Just over a year ago, Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending knee injury, sidelining him for 2021. Since then, he’s been rehabbing for a 2022 Week 1 return, and Ravens Head Coach John Harbaugh will decide by the end of the week if he’ll be on the field against the New York Jets on Sunday, September 11.

“He’s really ascending quickly, especially in the last week, week and a half,” Harbaugh said. “My plan is to decide by the end of the week which backs will be up. Really with J.K. [Dobbins], just kind of measure where he’s at in terms of how he’s moving, and the same with the other guys. So, he’s practicing out here and we’ll see by the end of the week where we’re at.”

Teammate Lamar Jackson believes Dobbins is also looking good, but sounded a bit cautious in Dobbins playing on Sunday.

“Day-by-day he’s getting better,” Jackson said. “I told him I want him to slow down, but he’s looking pretty good, [and] hopefully he’ll be out in a couple weeks. I’m looking forward to that guy, and he’s very eager to play. He’s been hearing the outside noise, [and] he’s ready to go and I’m ready for him to go, too.”

If Dobbins were to play Week 1, he’d make good on his word from two months ago when he called out NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.

If Dobbins isn’t deemed healthy enough to play, the Ravens won’t be hamstrung like last season. This offseason, the Ravens signed running backs Mike Davis and Kenyan Drake to help shoulder the load. They also have fourth-year running back Justice Hill while Dobbins continues to work back into game form.