Broncos' J.K. Dobbins news is worst possible update for star running back

The Denver Broncos, near the end of their Week 10 Thursday Night Football win over the Las Vegas Raiders, saw J.K. Dobbins go down on an alleged hip-drop tackle, which had the star running back hobbled.

He wound up finishing the game, but afterwards, some bad news came out that his foot sprain was likely going to keep him out of the Broncos' Week 11 matchup against the Kansas City Chiefs, and that injured reserve was a consideration.

Unfortunately, NFL Network insider Ian Rapoport shared some brutal news for Dobbins, as the star running back is hitting injured reserve, missing the next four games minimum. But that's not the worst part of Rapoport's Dobbins' update.

Broncos' J.K. Dobbins placed on IR, could be season-ending

"The Broncos are, in fact, placing JK Dobbins on Injured Reserve with a significant foot injury, per me and Tom Pelissero," Rapoport reports. "Dobbins has a ligament issue and will need season-ending surgery."

This is the worst possible news for Dobbins. Amid a strong 2025 campaign, this foot issue isn't just knocking him out for the next couple of weeks. He's heading towards season-ending surgery.

Any player suffering a season-ending injury is a brutal outcome. But for Dobbins, who's frequently dealt with bad luck when it comes to injuries in his NFL career, this is a brutal blow.

The 26-year-old running back was having a career year with the Broncos. Through 10 weeks, Dobbins was averaging 77.2 yards per game, the best of his five-year NFL career.

He had 772 rushing yards and four touchdowns on 153 rushing attempts before landing on injured reserve, and likely seeing his comeback season come to a close.

More: Broncos' JK Dobbins blasts NFL over hip-drop tackles in NSFW social media post

Across his NFL career, Dobbins has been incredibly unlucky with injuries. He played in 15 games his rookie year, but missed the entire 2021 season due to injury. In 2022, he played in just eight games, recording 520 yards and two touchdowns.

But in 2023, he only played one game, recording eight carries for 22 yards and a touchdown before another season-ending injury cut his season very short.

With the Los Angeles Chargers, he played in 13 games, missing a few games near the end of the year, and put up 905 rushing yards and nine touchdowns in a career year.

And now, if it weren't for this brutal, likely second-ending injury to Dobbins, he would've been on track to set a new career high in rushing yards.

Dobbins now will be out for a while, as rookie second-round running back RJ Harvey takes over the Denver backfield in his absence.

More Broncos News:

• New Broncos TE Marcedes Lewis is from same NFL Draft class as Texans' head coach DeMeco Ryans
• Denver Broncos made right decision to pass on Jaylen Waddle in light of reported asking price
• AFC West standings: What Broncos, Chargers wins mean for Chiefs in division race after Week 10
• Broncos, Raiders make NFL history with penalty-riddled Week 10 matchup
• Bo Nix downplays Broncos fans' boos after sluggish Week 10 performance
• There might be a logical explanation for Broncos' offensive struggles in 2025