However, Dobbins has gone through hell since his devastating knee injury in the 2021 preseason. In addition to losing a year of football, months of grueling rehab took Dobbins to dark places mentally. He remembers when he couldn’t lift his leg following surgery. Weeks later, he was still walking with a cane, taking showers while sitting in a chair, unable to stand up or bend his leg.
Even when Dobbins returned in Week 3 against the Patriots, he didn’t have much explosiveness. In his first four games this year, he averaged just 3.5 yards per carry, and more doubt began to creep in.
“Am I ever going to be good again?” Dobbins said. “Is this the new me? Am I going to be bad? Am I done?”
At that point, Dobbins decided to have another knee procedure in October to alleviate some of the scar tissue and improve his range of motion. It was a tough decision, because more surgery would mean more missed playing time. However, Dobbins felt strongly that he was making the right choice.
“I got woken up out of my sleep by God to tell me to do that,” Dobbins said. “First game back, I go for 120. It was the right decision.
“A lot of people didn’t want me to sit out. A lot of people weren’t informed on it, thought it would be bad for me. I stuck with it. I had to. I wasn’t myself mentally. My personality wasn’t the same. Cause I just wasn’t me. It was a tough time, because I knew my knee wasn’t right.”
Now Dobbins feels like himself, and it’s showing. Even without all his explosiveness, Dobbins’ vision, patience, quickness and ability to set up blocks makes him a special back. He’s running with speed and power, breaking tackles and making people miss.
“Before the scope, I was like 70%,” Dobbins said. “Now I’m probably in the 90’s. I’ve just got to get that last little bit, which comes with time and strengthening.”
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