The New York Jets might not be finished adding pieces on the offensive side of the ball.
Gang Green is among the betting favorites to land free agent running back JK Dobbins, per BetMaryland.
Dallas Cowboys (+550)
New York Jets (+650)
Los Angeles Chargers (+1000)
Las Vegas Raiders (+1050)
New York Giants (+1100)
The #Jets have the 2nd best betting odds to land free agent RB JK Dobbins, per BetMaryland.
🏈 #DallasCowboys +550
🏈 NYJ +650
🏈 #Chargers +1000
🏈 #Raiders +1050
🏈 #Giants +1100Dobbins & Aaron Rodgers rehabbed their Achilles together this past season.
LINK:… pic.twitter.com/uZQ9IUIape
— Paul Andrew Esden Jr (@BoyGreen25) March 21, 2024
Dobbins originally entered the NFL as the No. 55 overall pick in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft. He is the second all-time leading rusher in Ohio State football history (4,459) only behind two-time Heisman winner Archie Griffin.
Dobbins Is Set to Come at an Insane Free Agent Discount
Dobbins, 25, is projected to sign a one-year deal for $2 million with $1.25 million of that guaranteed, per Brad Spielberger of Pro Football Focus.
The veteran minimum for a player with at least four years of service time is $1.08 million. So Dobbins is expected to make a few sheckles north of that on the open market.
The reason Dobbins is projected to sign for so little is because of his troubling injury history. Dobbins blew out his Achilles in Week 1 of the 2023 season. In 2021 Dobbins tore his ACL in the preseason. Additionally, throughout his career, he has missed time due to COVID-19 and other ailments.
All in all, Dobbins has only appeared in 24 out of 67 possible games through the first four seasons of his career.
Although when he has been on the field, Dobbins has shown the flashes of brilliance that made him one of the best players in the history of OSU football.
Dobbins has averaged 5.8 yards per clip on his 234 rushing attempts in his career.
Dobbins Is a Player Worth Taking a Flier On
The former Ohio State stud has a track record of injuries, but the Jets would be protecting themselves with the contract structure.
If the injury issues persist the green and white can simply cut ties with no harm, no foul. However, if he returns to the same form as before the injury the Jets could cash in on a low-risk deal with a potential very high reward.
A lot of jokes have been made about the team’s decision to sign veteran running back Dalvin Cook last season on a one-year deal for $7 million. While the result was an epic flop, the thought process behind it was sound.
Breece Hall was coming off of a devastating knee injury and it was unclear how long it would take for him to return to form if ever. So New York wanted insurance just in case it took him a while to recover.
However, Hall shocked the world and proved he was an alien with his unbelievable recovery from the injury. The former Iowa State product appeared in all 17 games last season and proved that he was ready to take on the RB1 role.
In today’s day and age, you need multiple running backs to carry the load. The wear-and-tear should be spread out over several different players. That will extend the shelf life of each player and in theory, keep everyone healthy.
In the regular season finale of 2023, Hall toted the rock 37 times a little more than a year removed from ACL surgery. The Jets should never run Hall into the ground like that. If they do, he won’t last very long.
A reliable RB2 plays a very important role on this team. New York went overboard paying Cook, but they had the right idea trying to find a Robin to his Batman. A player like Dobbins would come on the cheap and fill the role the Jets need.
