J.K. Dobbins gets unexpected injury update from Broncos head coach Sean Payton originally appeared on The Sporting News. Add The Sporting News as a Preferred Source by clicking here.
After JK Dobbins went down with a foot injury a few weeks back, the expectation was that the Denver Broncos running back would miss the rest of the season.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementBut, not so fast, my friends.
Broncos head coach Sean Payton said on Wednesday that Dobbins now "has a chance" to return this season, although he said that return wouldn't be soon.
"Sean Payton said it wouldn’t be soon but JK Dobbins has a chance to return this season," the Denver Gazette's Chris Tomasson reported.
Dobbins suffered a ligament tear in his foot in Week 10 that led to his placement on injured reserve. Dobbins is entering the second week of his injured reserve stint this week, so he has to miss at least two more games.
When factoring in the bye week, that means the earliest he can return is in Week 16.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementIt isn't clear if Payton meant Dobbins has a chance to return in the regular season or during the playoffs, but we would suspect its the latter given the severity of his foot injury.
If it's the playoffs, there's a chance we could see Dobbins again this season, as the Broncos are sitting with a 9-2 record and in the No. 2 seed in the AFC.
A playoff berth is inevitable for Denver at this point, but whether or not they can wrap up the division and No. 1 seed remains to be seen.
If they can accomplish the latter feat, the Broncos will give Dobbins an extra week to get right without having to miss another game, so that will be an added bonus of getting the first-round bye.
AdvertisementAdvertisementAdvertisementPrior to his injury, Dobbins was having a fantastic season, with the veteran tallying 737 rushing yards and four touchdowns. He still ranks 12th in the NFL in rushing yards.
In the Broncos' first game without Dobbins, RJ Harvey led the way in Denver's backfield with 11 carries for 30 yards. Jaleel McLaughlin also contributed six carries for 19 yards and one touchdown.
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