The Denver Broncos' blockbuster trade for Jaylen Waddle filled the most significant hole on the roster and has the AFC's defending No. 1 seed feeling giddy this offseason.
Broncos running back J.K. Dobbins joined NFL Network's The Insiders on Tuesday and gushed about the talent that coach Sean Payton and new offensive play-caller Davis Webb have to utilize.
"And then we've got another guy that just came in, Jaylen Waddle, you know what I'm saying?" Dobbins said. "Pick your poison because we've got Courtland Sutton, we've got the young Pat Bryant, we've got a great O-line, we've got everything. We've got an embarrassment of riches on this team of talent.
"I'm excited. I really am, because, call it what it is, I got hurt, I missed the last, what, seven games in the regular season. I'm fresh. I'm gonna be fresh and I'm gonna be pissed off because I'm tired of the unfortunate stuff. I know that I can do it. It's gonna happen this year. It's gonna be great. I ain't gonna spill too much, I don't want to spill too many beans, but it's gonna be great."
Dobbins played in just 10 games before suffering his latest injury, which required foot surgery. The Broncos' running game struggled to find consistent traction after he went down. Dobbins generated 772 rushing yards and four touchdowns with a 5.0 yards per carry average. He was well on his way to crushing his career high rushing total (905).
Without Dobbins, Denver's run game floundered. In the first 10 weeks, Broncos running backs generated a -0.07 EPA per carry, 14th in the NFL, and 0.9 rush yards over expected per carry, tied for fourth-best. From Week 11-18, those figures plummeted to -0.14 EPA/C, tied for 25th, and -0.7 RYOE/C, 31st.
The Broncos re-signed the veteran earlier this month to a two-year, $16 million contract. If he can stay healthy, it gives Denver a good backfield pairing with RJ Harvey. Health has always been the key for Dobbins, who has never played more than 15 games in a season and has missed 53 games over the past five years.
"I'm gonna always keep going," he said. "A lot of people are wondering, like, damn, this guy, how is he steady coming back? Well, I don't see the injuries as something that's a downer. I see it as some way to get better as a man, as a person. Physically, yeah, I get hurt, but now I'm gonna come back even better.
"With this injury, I was so close to coming back from it. I believe I could have played in that AFC Championship Game. I could've. I practiced well. All my numbers, I was hitting all my numbers. I felt great. The thing about having a great organization is that they looked out for me and they wanted to make sure that I was good."
