Ravens RB J.K. Dobbins suffers season-ending torn Achilles in opener as 4 starters exit with injuries

BALTIMORE — In the first game of his fourth NFL season — and the last of his rookie deal — Ravens running back J.K. Dobbins suffered a season-ending torn Achilles tendon, coach John Harbaugh announced after Baltimore’s 25-9 win over the Houston Texans.

“I just feel bad for him,” Harbaugh said. “This is not the way we expected this to go.”

Dobbins, a second-round draft pick by the Ravens in 2020, scored the team’s first touchdown of the season with a diving score in the first quarter. After catching a 5-yard pass from quarterback Lamar Jackson in the third quarter and being tackled near the goal line, however, Dobbins left the game and was then helped to the locker room, walking gingerly off the sideline. He was initially ruled out with an ankle injury.

In his place, backup Justice Hill ran for two touchdowns.

It’s a devastating setback for the 24-year-old Dobbins, who has missed more pro games than he has played in because of injuries. He tore the ACL, LCL and meniscus in his left knee, along with his hamstring, during the Ravens’ 2021 preseason finale and played just eight games last year as he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery in October to remove scar tissue.

Dobbins, who has expressed his displeasure in the fact that he has not received a contract extension, also missed the start of training camp this year but returned to practice in mid-August. When healthy, he has been one of the NFL’s most effective running backs, averaging 5.9 yards per carry.

The running back joined safety Marcus Williams (left shoulder), left tackle Ronnie Stanley (knee) and center Tyler Linderbaum (ankle) as Ravens to exit the season opener with injuries. Williams was ruled out in the first half, while Stanley and Linderbaum were listed as questionable to return after leaving in the fourth quarter.

After the game, Harbaugh said Stanley, Linderbaum and Williams will receive MRIs to determine the extent of their injuries.

Stanley was injured with 12:29 left in the game as Jackson completed a 17-yard pass to rookie wide receiver Zay Flowers. Stanley grabbed his right knee and was tended to by trainers but was able to walk off the field under his own power and enter the blue medical tent. Patrick Mekari, a fifth-year veteran with 29 career starts, replaced him.

On the Ravens’ next possession, center Tyler Linderbaum was rolled into by a Texans defender during a 2-yard run by Hill. Linderbaum, a 2022 first-round draft pick who stood out as a rookie, went straight to the locker room. He was replaced by former Chicago Bears starter and Owings Mills native Sam Mustipher, who was elevated from the practice squad Saturday.