What Broncos Signing J.K. Dobbins Means for the Chiefs

On Tuesday, the Kansas City Chiefs learned that their division rivals, the Denver Broncos, were adding to their ground game. The Broncos signed veteran running back J.K. Dobbins to a one-year deal, keeping him within the AFC West, as he previously played with the Los Angeles Chargers.

While the Chiefs shouldn't be the happiest with this news, as the Broncos were already a threat this season, it shouldn't make them shy away from the competition. Dobbins had the best season of his career last season with the Chargers, and yet the Chiefs still won the division for the ninth consecutive season.

With the Chargers last season, Dobbins totaled 905 rushing yards in 195 carries, all in 13 games played. Lucky for the Chiefs, in the one game that Dobbins played against Kansas City last season, he only rushed for 32 yards in 14 carries, something the Chiefs defense will look to hold him to again in 2025.

The signing puts the Broncos in a position to be competitive, but we already knew that the AFC West would be the most competitive it has been in a few seasons. Seeing as though the Chiefs have one of the better defenses, led by defensive coordinator Steve Spagnuolo, the Broncos are going to need to bring more than just Dobbins to take the Chiefs down.

Keeping veteran Mike Pennel Jr is going to work out in the favor of Kansas City, as he was strong against the run game last season for the Chiefs. Ranking within the Top 20 on PFF's grading scale in run defense, Pennel will be a key asset to throw out on the field to defend the run.

Another player who will make Dobbins' job more difficult is linebacker Leo Chenal. Chenal was terrific against the ground game on defense last season, ranking as the sixth-best linebacker out of the 189 qualified on PFF's rankings. Chenal held an overall run defense grade of 90.2, making him a wall that's hard to penetrate.

The Broncos and Chiefs could be in a battle for the division all season long, as they are set to square off in Week 11 and Week 17 (Christmas Game).

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