Steelers All 90: QB Joshua Dobbs
All 90 is a Pittsburgh Steelers Now series profiling each of the 90 members of the Steelers 2021 offseason roster.
5 • Joshua Dobbs, fifth-year quarterback
6-foot-3, 216 pounds
Acquired: The Steelers claimed Dobbs on waivers on Sept. 6, 2020 for his second stint with the team. He re-signed with the club in April. Dobbs was with the Steelers from 2017-19 after being selected in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft and was traded to Jacksonville for fifth-round pick on Sept. 9, 2019.
Last season: Spent the year as the Steelers’ third-string quarterback, behind Ben Roethlisberger and Mason Rudolph.
Dobbs played in one game, the regular season finale at Cleveland, and completed four of five passes for two yards and rushed twice for 20 yards.
Career: Dobbs has been a consistent presence in the Steelers’ quarterbacks room, but has rarely taken a turn on the field. A third-stringer as a rookie, Dobbs played in parts of five games in 2018 as the Steelers’ top backup after beating out Landry Jones and Rudolph for the job. He did not see the field with Jacksonville in 2019.
College: Played all four years at Tennessee, the first two replacing injured starter Justin Worley, and then he assumed the mantle of starting quarterback for the 2015 and 2016 seasons.
Dobbs finished his time at Tennessee with 7,138 yards and 53 touchdown passes. He also ran for 2,160 yards and 32 more scores.
Camp outlook: While the top two quarterback spots appear to be locked down with Roethlisberger and Rudolph returning, Dobbs is entering a battle for his No. 3 job with former Washington first-round pick Dwayne Haskins.
Dobbs has a level of mobility that none of the other Steelers’ quarterback posses and showed off his legs at Cleveland last season, which could be a separator if new offensive coordinator Matt Canada wants the option of having more athleticism at the position.
Dobbs’ long experience as a backup and as an in-game sounding board for Roethlisberger should help his cause, as well.
Future: Dobbs will again be an unrestricted free agent after the 2021 season.
The rest of the 90:
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