Chargers new RB named 'lock' to improve in 2024

The Chargers offense is going to have a run-first mentality under new head coach Jim Harbaugh. 

Los Angeles selecting offensive tackle Joe Alt with the No. 5 overall pick in the 2024 NFL Draft proves exactly that.

It is also just one reason why NFL.com's Eric Edholm named running back J.K. Dobbins, who joined the team on a one-year deal in April, a "lock" to improve in 2024.

"There wasn't a better place for him to land, joining Jim Harbaugh and old friends Greg Roman and Gus Edwards to form a West Coast version of the Baltimore offense that made Dobbins look like a star previously," Edholm writes. "He can be the lightning to Edwards' thunder in Harbaugh's offense, which -- if it's anything like the system that just won Michigan a national title -- won't be shy about running the football."

Dobbins, a second-round pick by the Ravens in 2020, has been impressive when on the field, averaging 5.8 yards per carry in his career. However, that is something he has struggled to do.

Last season, Dobbins suffered yet another season-ending injury, tearing his Achilles in Week 1. It was added to his growing list of injuries, which includes tearing his ACL in 2021 and suffering another knee injury in 2022 that forced him to miss half the season.

Edholm does acknowledge that his extensive injury history could mean "we've already seen the best of Dobbins," but he doesn't want to give up on the 25-year-old just yet.

"The injury concern can't be overlooked, of course. But Dobbins hasn't yet turned 26 years old. I'm betting on at least one more big NFL season from him," Edholm added. "He'll be running behind an offensive line that features three recent first-round picks and should be among the better groups in the NFL."

Dobbins has proclaimed to be "100 percent" healthy and was "cleared for football activities" in March, per NFL Network's Tom Pelissero. If that's true, it's a safe bet that he could have the best season of his career in 2024.