DENVER — The Broncos will be without a key contributor down the stretch, as the team’s leading rusher is reportedly done for the year.
J.K. Dobbins will have surgery on his foot that will end his season, according to NFL Network.
He was injured last week during an unflagged hip-drop tackle by Raiders defensive end Tyree Wilson late in the third quarter of Denver's 10-7 win over Las Vegas.
Oh boy. Exactly what this #Broncos offense did not need headed down the stretch. @DenverChannel https://t.co/ja1bbcdAeA
— Lionel Bienvenu (@lionelbienvenu) November 15, 2025
He limped off the field, but concerns about his health dissipated after he returned and carried six times for 25 yards. He finished with 77 yards on 18 carries and the Broncos chewed up the final 4 1/2 minutes in the fourth quarter to secure their seventh straight win.
The next day, though, Dobbins posted an obscenity-laced rant on X, calling for hip-drop tackles to be penalized, and he sought a second medical opinion, which confirmed the injury's severity.
Dobbins has been a bright spot on an offense that has lacked them at times this season, rushing for 772 yards and four touchdowns. His four scores had come in Denver’s last five games.
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Rookie RJ Harvey is the team’s second leading rusher – though he only had 50 carries through 10 games – and will presumably assume the lead back role. Fellow running backs Tyler Badie and Jaleel McLaughlin figure to see expanded roles in Dobbins’s absence.
For Dobbins, a shortened 2025 season continues a career marred by injuries. He hasn’t played a full season since missing the entire 2021 campaign with a knee injury.
Denver hosts the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. They will begin that game missing several starters in addition to Dobbins.
Star cornerback Pat Surtain II (strained pectoral) and tight end Nate Adkins (knee) will both miss their third straight game, leading tackler Alex Singleton is recovering from surgery last week to remove a cancerous testicular tumor and outside linebacker Jonah Elliss (hamstring) is also out.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
