‘That Will Anger People’: Payton Doubles Down on Dobbins

J.K. Dobbins is back. The Denver Broncos re-signed Dobbins to a two-year, $16 million deal, which represents a 4x raise over the $2 million he made last year.

Some fans were disappointed in the contract the Broncos gave Dobbins because he didn't finish the season healthy. But GM George Paton explained why Dobbins was quietly a top priority for the Broncos this offseason.

“This guy, from the minute that he walked into our building, changed it," Paton said on Monday from the NFL owners meetings. "So it’s like, we didn’t want to let him leave. He meant too much to the building. He was a Top-4 rusher in the league when he got hurt. Let’s sign him back. He meant too much to this team.”

A Priority Ahead of All Others

In just 10 games, Dobbins rushed for 772 yards and four touchdowns, averaging 5.0 yards per carry. While he was healthy, the Broncos fielded a top-10 rushing offense, which withered after he landed on injured reserve.

Dobbins made a massive impact on the field as a rusher, but what he brought to the table as a leader, and the swagger he gave the Broncos' offense was what really blew the coaches' hair back. Dobbins imbued Bo Nix and the offense with a major shot of confidence.

That swagger was a big reason the Broncos suddenly were prevailing in the same one-score games that they lost more often than not in 2024. The Broncos did not want to see Dobbins leave.

"Dobbins was a priority, ahead of all others. Now that will anger people," Payton said on Tuesday from Phoenix. "He is someone who is one of those compound multipliers, like he brings 10 others along with him in a positive light. Our success last year, he has some fingerprints on that."

Injury Bug: A 'Tough Balance'

J.K. Dobbins walks off the field after suffering a season-ending foot injury. The Broncos beat the Raiders. | Isaiah J. Downing-Imagn Images

Then we come to the inconvenient truth: the injuries. Since arriving in the NFL as a 2020 Baltimore Ravens second-round draft choice, Dobbins has been one of the most efficient running backs in the league, but he's yet to play a whole season. His career high is 15 games played, which came in his rookie year.

Dobbins has suffered many serious injuries as a pro, as if he's been snake-bitten. He calls it the "unfortunate stuff," but his injury history has to be part of the equation when it comes to the Broncos' decision to bring him back and the game plan surrounding him in the event that he goes down again.

Paton worked to balance the pros and cons of the Dobbins situation, ultimately signing him to that two-year deal, which does come with a huge raise, but also gives the Broncos an out after 2026 if the injury bug derails yet another promising season.

“You’re right, it’s a tough balance, but he is 27 years old," Paton said of Dobbins. "He is completely healthy now. That injury was kind of—it was a hip-drop. It was a freak [injury]; his body didn’t break down. He could’ve played in the Super Bowl."

Although he comes off like he's a 10-year veteran in his 30s, Dobbins is still relatively young. At 27, if the Broncos can find a way to keep him healthy, he could have two or three more prime years left in the tank, and then some.

That's a big 'if,' though, right? What makes the Broncos so confident they can stave off the injury bug?

Source of Denver's Confidence

First off, the Broncos' player wellness/strength and conditioning program is elite. Good luck finding another NFL team that has done as well as Denver has at keeping their best players on the field and avoiding injury epidemics.

The Broncos know what such epidemics look like. Before Payton arrived as head coach, the Broncos were the NFL's most snake-bitten team over the preceding four years.

Payton hired Beau Lowery as vice president of player health & performance and Dan Dalrymple as strength and conditioning coach, completely reversing the ill fortune Denver had suffered for years at the hands of the injury bug.

Three years later, the proof is in the pudding. And this time around, a healthy Dobbins will benefit from a full offseason in the Broncos' health and performance program, which gives the shot-callers a lot of confidence.

It's no guarantee that Dobbins will stay healthy. The best predictor of future outcome is past outcome, but it's not the only predictor. Things change. Situations shift. People change.

The Takeaway: Dobbins is 'Pissed Off'

The Broncos are betting $8 million dollars that they'll be able to keep Dobbins healthy. The season-ending foot injury he suffered in Week 10 last fall was due to an illegal tackle made by a Las Vegas Raiders defender, which Paton pointed out.

Nobody was held accountable for that illegal tackle. The officials didn't even penalize the Raider offender in-game. Dobbins paid the price, though, and with the Broncos rewarding him and showing such tremendous faith in him, he's driven to finally prove that he can keep the injury bug at bay.

"I'm excited. I really am. Because, call it what it is, I got hurt. I missed the last seven games of the regular season," Dobbins told NFL Network recently. "I'm gonna be fresh, and I'm gonna be pissed off because I'm tired of the unfortunate stuff. And I know that I can do it. It's gonna happen this year."

The Broncos are banking on it.

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