There was quite the shuffle at the running back position in this past offseason. Derrick Henry left Tennessee for Baltimore. Saquon Barkley jumped ship from New York to Philadelphia. Joe Mixon went from one AFC contender (Cincinnati) to another (Houston). And Josh Jacobs departed the desert (Las Vegas) for the heartland (Green Bay).

Lots of big names there, but the early steal from the offseason RB market likely isn’t the player you’d expect. That honor goes to J.K. Dobbins, who leads the NFL with 266 rushing yards (on a league-best average of 9.9 yards per tote) heading into Week 3. This is the kind of production we’ve all known the 25-year-old is capable of when healthy, but therein lies the problem: Dobbins, who was Baltimore’s second-round pick in 2020, played in just 24 of a possible 67 regular-season games over his first four pro seasons.

This offseason, Dobbins signed a team-friendly, one-year deal with the Los Angeles Chargers, moving west with Ravens teammate Gus Edwards and reuniting with former Baltimore offensive coordinator Greg Roman. As new Bolts coach Jim Harbaugh stressed all offseason, Los Angeles would be hell-bent on running the football — and thus far, that’s something this team has done quite well.

The healthy Dobbins has been dynamite in the Chargers’ downhill run game. Posting back-to-back performances with 130-plus rush yards and at least one rush TD, Dobbins became the fifth player in the NFL since 1960 to do so in his team’s first two games in a season — joining Garrison Hearst (1998), Billy Sims (1980), O.J. Simpson (1975) and Jim Brown (1963). Dobbins looks as explosive as ever — even trying out some gymnastics — with three runs of at least 20 yards. As as a focal point of L.A.’s offense, he has helped the Chargers wear down defenses and control the clock, which is exactly the type of ball Harbaugh wants to play.