Should The Baltimore Ravens Pay This Interesting Player?
The Baltimore Ravens are dealing with another contract dispute involving one of the team's offensive starters. Running back J.K. Dobbins has decided to "hold in" at the team's mandatory minicamp in hopes of a new contract, meaning he doesn't plan to practice until a new contract agreement is in place.
Here is a look at the situation thus far and what the Baltimore Ravens should do moving forward.
First Three Years
Dobbins has played 23 games since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. In that time, the former Ohio State Buckeye has 1,325 rushing yards and 11 touchdowns on 226 attempts.
The 24-year-old missed the entire 2021 season with a torn ACL and didn't return to in-game action until Week Three last year. Dobbins started all eight games he appeared in last season, finishing with career-highs in yards per game (65.0) and attempts per game (11.5).
Dobbins is currently playing in the final year of his rookie contract with a cap hit of $1.82 million. He could become an unrestricted free agent at the end of the 2023 campaign.
Public Comments
In a sit-down interview with Mark Viviano of WJZ, Dobbins voiced his commitment to playing for the Baltimore Ravens. "I would love to be a Baltimore Raven for the rest of my career," he said. "I love the city. I love the people. It feels like family here."
Dobbins also acknowledged the business aspect of playing in the NFL and mentioned how difficult it can be. Meanwhile, Baltimore Ravens head coach John Harbaugh said he had expected the third-year running back to be practicing, but said: "It just wasn't in the cards."
What Should The Baltimore Ravens Do?
J.K. Dobbins is an incredible athlete and football player when he is healthy. However, the Ravens need to consider his past injuries before offering any type of long-term deal.
If Baltimore feels comfortable with Dobbins' injury history, the next question will be the required money to work out a new contract.
Running backs only account for 3.41% of the Ravens' cap space. However, the team also spends the league's fourth-most cap space overall on offense. Baltimore also has a long list of players ready to become free agents at the end of the 2023 season, including Dobbins' fellow running back Gus Edwards.
Overall, you'd have to think the Ravens like Dobbins enough to keep him on the club for the foreseeable future and should work out a deal for either him or Edwards before the start of the regular season in September.
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