The Denver Broncos have been one of the best teams this NFL season, in large part thanks to their dominant defense as well as running backs J.K. Dobbins and R.J. Harvey. They have led them to an 8-2 record, which is good enough for first place in the highly competitive AFC West division while quarterback Bo Nix looks to regain his rookie form.
Dobbins remained healthy through the first half of the season before he got nicked on a hip drop tackle during Denver’s 10-7 victory against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 10. He ended up returning to the game, finishing with 77 yards on 18 carries, though his near-term availability was certainly murky.
On Saturday, the Broncos provided an update on Dobbins’ health.
Latest on J.K. Dobbins’ Injury
ESPN’s Adam Schefter shared details on Dobbins’ health, revealing that he’ll be placed on injured reserve due to a foot injury that requires surgery, likely ending his season. He is expected to make a full recovery.
Notably, Tom Pelissero reported that the door is open for Dobbins to make a potential return this season, if the Broncos reach the Super Bowl.
Before getting hurt, Dobbins was ranked fifth in the league in rushing yards, with a total of 772 yards and five touchdowns. According to PFSN’s RB Impact metric, Dobbins had an impact score of 81.4 and was ranked 14th among the running backs in the league.
With the passing game missing the mark at times this season, head coach Sean Payton depended on his veteran running back to carry the load while second-round pick Harvey gained his footing.
Broncos RB J.K. Dobbins will be placed on injured reserve with a foot injury that requires surgery and likely end his season, per ESPN sources.
Dobbins sustained the injury on a hip-drop tackle during the Broncos’ Thursday night win against the Raiders. Set to become a free… pic.twitter.com/DhuqTNZirx
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) November 15, 2025
Dobbins is no stranger to being placed on injured reserve. After getting drafted with the 55th pick in the 2020 NFL Draft by the Baltimore Ravens, he tore his ACL in the preseason of his sophomore season.
While productive after that, a 2023 Achilles tear set him back and ended his time in Baltimore. After making a full recovery, he joined the Los Angeles Chargers in 2024 and was regaining his past form before an MCL sprain forced him to miss four games.
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Dobbins’ productivity has never been a question, the issue has consistently been his availability. Now, with him out, Harvey has a chance to stake his claim in the Broncos’ backfield. While he has yet to be predominantly featured in the ground game, he has shown effectiveness as a pass catcher, with 175 yards on 25 catches, alongside four touchdowns.
As a rusher, he’s only been given 50 carries, though he’s been productive, with 214 yards and two touchdowns on an average yards per carry of 4.3. He’ll likely share snaps with former third-string running back Tyler Badie, who also specializes as a pass catcher. For now, this backfield largely belongs to Harvey.
The NFL world will be paying close attention to see what he does this week against the Kansas City Chiefs.
