The dreaded, harmful preseason injury bug has bitten the Baltimore Ravens, as second-year running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending torn ACL in his left knee during the team's final exhibition game on Saturday night.
Dobbins certainly won't be the last star player to experience a devastating injury during the preseason. But do teams need to seriously reconsider how much playing time key contributors should receive in meaningless contests? JR discussed the topic during Monday's edition of the JR SportBrief show.
"It's unfortunate. Any injury in football is unfortunate... It's extremely simple: it's a part of the game," JR said. "It's just very year, every CBA, we hear and see more about it -- less practice time, less OTA's, less hitting. The NFL has already gone into a space where the players are being protected from being overworked and overused from punishment, from two-a-days...
"The NFL and union are trying to put as much regular season football on-air as possible. The preparation is out of the door. Dobbins, this preseason, was on the field for 23 total plays. He only touched the ball 10 times... Anyone who questions [Ravens head coach] John Harbaugh... this could've happened to anybody, anywhere... This is an aggressive game. This is a violent game."
Dobbins, 22, was selected 55th overall by the Ravens during the 2020 draft. In 15 games last season, the Ohio State product rushed for 805 total yards on 134 attempts with nine touchdowns, and his average of 6.0 yards per carry ranked first among all NFL running backs.
Baltimore will open the 2021 campaign out west against the Las Vegas Raiders on Monday, Sept. 13. According to the William Hill Sportsbook, the Ravens currently have the best odds (+120) to win the AFC North, and the third-best odds (+650) to win the conference.
JR's complete thoughts on Dobbins' injury and NFL preseason playing time can be accessed in the audio player above.
You can follow the JR SportBrief show on Twitter @JRSportBrief and Tom Hanslin @TomHanslin.