Commanders Eyeing Shock Move for J.K. Dobbins Despite Crowded RB Room

The Washington Commanders were extremely active in the offseason once again, bringing in talent through free agency, trades, and the NFL Draft with the hopes of replicating their NFC Championship run from a season ago.

The roster is well built, and we will now get the chance to see how things will come together for the 2025 Commanders as OTAs are fully underway before training camp later in the summer.

While everything may seem complete for the Commanders, it doesn't mean that they are quite done adding to the team. There has been speculation that Washington could be looking to improve their running back room, and according to Sports Illustrated's Gilberto Manzano, they would be the best fit for currently unsigned free agent running back J.K. Dobbins.

Dec 28, 2024; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; Los Angeles Chargers running back J.K. Dobbins (27) runs with the ball after making a catch against the New England Patriots during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images / Gregory Fisher-Imagn Images

Dobbins in the DMV?

"It’s a bit surprising that Dobbins remains unsigned after bouncing back from significant injuries to emerge as a Comeback Player of the Year candidate with the Chargers last season," wrote Manzano. "Perhaps teams aren’t willing to pay a certain price for a running back with an extensive injury history, but the Commanders could use a productive back such as Dobbins, who recorded 905 yards in 13 games last season. Dobbins wouldn’t have to carry a heavy workload with Brian Robinson Jr. and Austin Ekeler also on the Commanders’ roster."

Intriguingly, Dobbins has yet to find a new home after his great bounce-back season in 2024 with the Los Angeles Chargers. Without a doubt, it seems to have to do with his previous injury history, but the production still seems to be there, as evidenced by last year. Dobbins is still young at just 26 years of age and hasn't even seen three full seasons in the league, so adding him likely would be a steal for the Commanders.

Here is where things get a bit murky. The Commanders have a ton of running backs currently on the team.

Brian Robinson Jr., Austin Ekeler, Jeremy McNichols, last year's surprise Chris Rodriguez Jr., and highly thought of draft pick Jacory Croskey-Merritt all reside on the Commanders' roster. It is a solid running back room, but it seems like Washington wants a bit more from their backs.

The running game in 2024 wasn't bad by any means, but it did lack that explosiveness that some other elite teams have from their running backs. Robinson Jr. was fine last season, but struggled with fumbles, and Ekeler isn't getting any younger and dealt with injuries in 2024. McNichols has somewhat become the passing down back while Rodriguez Jr. shined in a limited role later in the season.

The addition and hype of Croskey-Merritt make this even more of a conundrum, as all signs point to the team rewarding him if he continues to impress. If the Commanders think they can improve this season in the running game, there isn't much of a reason to add a player like Dobbins. However, if they don't, allowing Dobbins to make the team and beat out some of these guys could end up working out for them if he can maintain the level of play we saw out of him last year.