I left Kimani Vidal off my 53-man roster projection after Week 1 of the preseason. My grade at that stage was “incomplete.” He had missed a week of practice, including the joint session with the Rams, before not playing in the preseason opener against the Seattle Seahawks. You have to earn your spot in the NFL, and that will especially be the case under Harbaugh. Vidal had a strong week of practice last week. He followed that up with a solid performance in his first game action. I have moved him ahead of Isaiah Spiller and onto the 53-man in my running projection.

Related players: Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Jaret Patterson

If you remember, we reported on this a few weeks ago when this writer left Vidal off the team's 53-man roster. Vidal was at least a popular dynasty selection up to this point, given the Chargers state at RB. However, Vidal looks to be making a move up the depth chart with solid, recent practices and preseason game showing. Edwards and Dobbins appear to be leading the way at the position with Patterson also having a nice camp. Vidal looks like he still has a lot of work to do to at least be the team's RB3.

Jaret Patterson has impressed the coaching staff, and he appears to have grasped the RB3 role right now.

Gus Edwards, J.K. Dobbins, Kimani Vidal, Elijah Dotson, Isaiah Spiller

Much like they did in Baltimore, Edwards and Dobbins will look to form the 1-2 punch. While Patterson seems to be in the lead for the RB3 role, the author of this story seems to think rookie sixth rounder Vidal could be left off the roster. He said of the four backs competing behind Edwards and Dobbins, Patterson has gotten the most reps with the first team in practice. He was also the first running back in the game Saturday, ahead of both Spiller and Dotson. The story went on to say Vidal was in uniform for warmups but did not dress for the game. Vidal has also been dealing with an injury and missed four full days of practice earlier this month, according to the story, including the joint practice with the Los Angeles Rams. The author ended by saying this competition is still wide open and things could change by the end of camp.

I see Gus Edwards as the clear lead back. The secondary touches are open for competition, though if J.K. Dobbins is healthy, I think he wins that job. Edwards was nursing an injury in the spring, but according to Harbaugh, he should be ready for camp.

Related Players: Kimani Vidal

"If he's healthy" is what we've been saying throughout the entirety of Dobbins' career. He has sadly had multiple major lower-body injuries, and the Chargers signed him to a very minimal contract. Vidal remains an interesting late-round fantasy addition for an L.A. team we are expecting to run the ball a ton.

Former Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins is planning to sign with the #Chargers on a one-year deal. Electric when healthy, Dobbins — who averages 5.8 yards per carry in his career — reunites with OC Greg Roman and can hit the market again in March.

Related Players: Gus Edwards

Dobbins has had poor injury luck in his career, but has only managed 234 total rushes since being drafted in the second round of the 2020 NFL Draft. This is a low-risk, high-reward move by the Chargers and might give them a runway to wait a little longer in the '24 Draft before they address the position.

Justice Hill, a 2019 fourth-round draft pick, has been a reliable special teams contributor throughout his career but has not received more than 58 carries or rushed for more than 262 yards in a season. That might be about to change.

“He played well,” coach John Harbaugh said of Hill after Sunday’s win. “He’s had a heck of a camp. Justice has done a great job, [and] he’s ready to go.”

Gus Edwards, meanwhile, has been one of the league’s most efficient running backs when healthy, entering Sunday averaging 5.2 yards on 501 career carries. Now more than two years removed from a torn ACL that sidelined him for the entire 2021 season, the former undrafted free agent might be ready to handle a larger workload.

Related players: Melvin Gordon, Keaton Mitchell, Jonathan Taylor, J.K. Dobbins

The story said the Ravens could elevate Gordon from the practice squad, but this doesn't seem like it will be the team's only move. Mitchell can return in Week 5 after being placed on IR because of a shoulder injury. The story said Mitchell was a standout at camp this year and could be a name to watch. But with Mitchell on IR, Edwards and Hill should see a majority of the work over the next few weeks at least. The story also mentioned the team could try to trade for Taylor; they were rumored to be in the mix before the Colts put Taylor on IR. However, rumored asking prices from the Colts have been high so it remains to be seen if a deal can be made.

Ravens head coach John Harbaugh confirmed a torn Achilles injury for RB J.K. Dobbins.

The initial fears have been realized for the Ravens. Dobbins scored a touchdown in Baltimore's 25-9 win over the Texans but now his season is quickly over. This is Dobbin's second major injury in three seasons following an ACL tear in 2021. Just extremely unfortunate for Dobbins. Gus Edwards and Justice Hill are next in line at running back for the Ravens.

J.K. Dobbins said he's now 100% after a devastating left knee injury two years ago. Asked about his absence, Dobbins paused for a few seconds and swayed side to side before saying, "I was just being cautious. I want to be there for my teammates, and that's all it was. My teammates understood what was going on. So, it's all good now I'm out here."

Related Players: Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Melvin Gordon

After all the hand-wringing over the summer, it seems like Dobbins will be back with the team, fully healthy, as the Week 1 starter. Congratulations to drafters who ignored the buzz, but it sure was a lot of buzz to ignore. Dobbins is currently ranked as a fringe RB2/3 in 4for4's rankings.

Sources: Ravens’ RB J.K. Dobbins, who has not yet practiced during training camp, is being activated today off the Physically Unable to Perform list.

Related players: Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Melvin Gordon

The Ravens have been indicating Dobbins would return to the team sooner than later. Many feel Dobbins was "holding in" as he's been rumored to want a new contract. Because of his injury history, he could need to prove his worth in what is the final year of his rookie contract. Dobbins was impressive in the second half of the season after returning from injury, putting up rushing lines of 15-120-1, 13-125-0, 12-59-0 and 17-93-0. In the playoff game he rushed for 13-62, but also caught four balls for 43 yards and he's expected to be more involved in the Ravens new passing offense this season.

Keeping Keaton Mitchell over Melvin Gordon. Gordon has looked good in training camp and showed some juice in the preseason opener. But Mitchell’s speed, elusiveness and return ability make him an intriguing prospect. With J.K. Dobbins and Gus Edwards eligible for free agency after the season, it makes more sense to keep a younger back.

Related players: Justice Hill

Gordon is 30, but despite looking pretty good up to this point he's considered on the bubble because teams usually side with youth. The story said it's possible the Ravens only keeps three RBs on the roster, but acknowledged there is plenty of injury history with Dobbins and Edwards. Of course, Dobbins remains out, but rumors and stories say his return to the team is close.

While the Ravens have been going about business as usual on the field with Gus Edwards, Justice Hill, Melvin Gordon III and undrafted rookies Keaton Mitchell and Owen Wright. However, considering the massive role Dobbins could have in the Ravens offense this season and the installation of Todd Monken's new scheme, it's imperative that J.K. Dobbins gets in practice time before Week 1.

Per coach John Harbaugh, "You know, I don't know. It's a fair question, and there is a point in time when it does become a concern," Harbaugh said. "J.K. and I talked last night. We talk a lot. He wants to be out there, and he needs to be out there, just like any player does. Other than that, there's nothing else I can really add. I don't know when he's going to come back, but I know I'm going to be really happy when he does."

Things really feel like they're coming to a head here, with Dobbins still not participating in Ravens training camp. His status as a solid RB2 in fantasy football is teetering week-by-week.