J.K. Dobbins has been out of the spotlight for a while, but when he finally surfaced again, the Broncos running back sounded exactly like the same guy Denver expected when it brought him in.
Dobbins has not spoken much since suffering a soft tissue injury early in camp, and that absence has matched the quiet stretch he’s been in physically. Still, in a recent conversation with Troy Renck of the Denver Post, he addressed Sean Payton’s description of him as a “force multiplier” and made it clear he feels right at home in Denver.
“I don’t try to be anything,” Dobbins said. “I am just me.
Me being me, that’s what comes with it. They trust me.
They trust me to lead the way for the young guys and whoever needs help, to bring them along. I appreciate that from them.
It is why I say I was born to be a Bronco because everything this organization stands for I stand for.”
Dobbins also explained why he never felt the need to get preseason snaps, especially after what happened to him in 2021. He sat out the preseason entirely, and he said that decision made sense to him based on his own history.
“Do you know what happened to me my second year (in 2021)?,” he asked. “The very last preseason game I blew my entire knee out.
So I have really never been a big fan of preseason games. That injury was a nightmare, one of the hardest things I have been through.
We practice hard every single day. I go against the best defense, and I think I can get enough work that can prepare me.”
When Renck tried to steer the conversation toward Monday night and get Dobbins talking up the matchup, he didn’t take the bait. Dobbins kept the focus on his own job and on competing the right way.
“I have love for all the running backs in the NFL. I want Walker to do well, just not this week,” Dobbins said.
“My job is to run the ball well. Listen, I love to compete.
I love to bring out the best in my teammates. You will see it on Monday.
I am a passionate guy. You can’t cheat the game.
It’s going to be good. We are going to be ready to go.”
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