Coming into the 2018 preseason, Pittsburgh quarterback Josh Dobbs had done very little to encourage confidence in him. He hadn’t seen the field in his first season for the team. Dobbs hadn’t come close to unseating Landry Jones for the backup quarterback spot. And let’s face it, when the Steelers traded up to take Mason Rudolph in the third round it wasn’t exactly a vote of confidence for the former Tennessee Volunteers quarterback.
It seemed more like an NFL death sentence.
The deal on Dobbs was simple. He was both a player with a great upside, and in the same breath a seeming interception waiting to happen. We’re talking about a guy who threw for 53 touchdowns and a whopping 27 interceptions while in college. And he followed that up in his first preseason by throwing more interceptions (three) than touchdowns (two).
Then in comes Mason Rudolph, who had thrown for 90 touchdowns and only 26 interceptions in college. Done deal, right? Keep Landry Jones as the backup, move Rudolph into the third spot until he was ready to take over second team duties.
As Lee Corso often says, not so fast my friend.
Dobbs started things off in the preseason making some plays but also throwing the ball away, as he has always done. But then there was the pressure of the decision looming. Dobbs was named the starter for the final preseason game of the year against the Carolina Panthers. The stakes were clear- either play well or potentially be cut. This was the kind of stuff that tends to define players.
Dobbs completed 8 of 12 passes for 151 yards, a 12.6 yards per-throw average, and one touchdown for a 137.5 quarterback rating. Soon after, Jones was gone from the team and Dobbs was elevated to the second team.
The bottom line is that Dobbs brings three things to the table that make him the right choice for Pittsburgh’s backup quarterback role at this time.
- Remember Dobbs when he and the Vols were the story due to comeback wins? That takes an ability to play under pressure. He proved capable of that in the game against Carolina, and it means something.
- Dobbs has a chance to be Ben Roethlisberger’s successor. I’d put my money on Rudolph in a couple of years because he’s a better pure passer with less risk, but the chance is present nonetheless. Landry Jones, as valuable as he has been as a backup, simply does not look to have the stuff to be a starter in this league. So why not put someone in the role that has the ability to maybe be something more than just a backup?
- With his athleticism being so intriguing, Dobbs provides likely trade value if Rudolph proves to be the answer for the Steelers.
Good call by the Steelers in elevating Dobbs to the number two quarterback role. Can’t wait to see how the story plays out with Dobbs and Rudolph moving forward.
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