Much like the rest of the Denver Broncos' backfield, it has been an inauspicious start to the season for veteran first-stringer J.K. Dobbins.

Never mind his preseason soft-tissue injury or the apparent hip issue he picked up in Week 1, Dobbins has just not cut the mustard on the ground, rushing 35 times for 121 scoreless yards across his first three 2026 appearances — a less-than-stellar 3.5 yards per carry, the worst of his career.

He's also added nothing as pass-catcher, hauling in one of two targets for four yards. This, despite being on the field for 42% of Denver's offense snaps.

Quite simply, whether due to repeated injury or Father Time creeping up, it isn't the production the Broncos thought they'd get when Dobbins (who turns 28 in December) inked a two-year extension this past offseason. His pinky promise feels like forever ago.

On Wednesday, ahead of the team's Week 4 road trip to San Francisco, head coach Sean Payton addressed Dobbins' efficiency — or lack thereof — while expressing confidence that a corner will eventually be turned.

“I think he’s ready, and I just think that there’ll be a combination of things that can lead into that, but I’m looking forward to watching him," Payton told reporters. "There’s a big reason why we brought him back and re-signed him because we saw the skill set and what drives him. He’s very competitive.”

Dobbins Could Have Plus Matchup in San Fran

Dobbins was the antithesis of efficient versus a stout Rams defense last Sunday, converting a team-high 17 totes into 49 ground yards (2.9 YPC). He had a "long" rush of six yards. However, neither RBs RJ Harvey (6 yards) nor Tyler Badie (2 yards) could get anything going, either.

Fortunately for the lot, Sunday's tilt against the Niners poses what could be an advantageous matchup for Denver, as San Francisco currently ranks middle of the pack (15th) in rushing defense, surrendering 105.7 yards per game.

Considering the rest of their defense ranks fairly highly — tied for third in points allowed, 6th in the red zone, and 7th in yards per play allowed — this is something the Broncos must look to exploit, if only to tamp down the pressure on quarterback Bo Nix.

“It’s important. I’ve been in times where you throw the ball too much, and you feel like that’s all you can do," Nix told reporters on Wednesday. "Then I feel like running the ball a lot, and you want to throw it and stretch them downfield. At the end of the day, it’s what is the defense giving us? How can we attack them? How can we be threats? How can we get our guys in space? At the end of the day, if you run the ball down the field and you go score, nobody’s going to say anything. If you throw the ball down the field and go score, nobody’s going to say anything. It’s finding that happy medium of doing it well balanced and just being able to go down the field and sustain drives. I think a lot of it right now is just first and second down run-pass, first and second down early success, having good runs and really trying the best we can to stay out of third downs because that’s how defenses get off the field obviously.”

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