Joshua Dobbs
January 26, 1995
Robert Joshua Dobbs (born January 26, 1995) is an American football quarterback for the Minnesota Vikings of the National Football League (NFL). He played college football for the Tennessee Volunteers, and was selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft.
1997
Dobbs entered the 2015 season as Tennessee's starting quarterback. He started and appeared in all 12 regular season games and the bowl game. To open Tennessee's season on September 5, Dobbs recorded 205 passing yards, two passing touchdowns, 89 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown against the Bowling Green Falcons in a 59–30 win at Nissan Stadium in Nashville, Tennessee. In a 2OT 31–24 loss to the #19 Oklahoma Sooners in the Tennessee 2015 home opener, Dobbs had 125 passing yards, one passing touchdown, 12 rushing yards, and one rushing touchdown. In a 28–27 loss to SEC East rival Florida at Ben Hill Griffin Stadium, Dobbs had a season-high 136 rushing yards and had a 58-yard receiving touchdown thrown by teammate wide receiver Jauan Jennings on a trick play. Dobbs's touchdown reception against Florida was the first reception by a Tennessee quarterback since Peyton Manning caught a 10-yard pass from running back Jamal Lewis in 1997 against Arkansas. Against the rival #19 Georgia Bulldogs, Dobbs had a season-high 312 yards passing and three touchdowns to go along with 118 rushing yards and two touchdowns. His efforts in the game led Tennessee to their first win over the Bulldogs since 2009. Against the #8 Alabama Crimson Tide in their annual rivalry game, Dobbs had 171 yards passing and one passing touchdown in the narrow 19–14 loss at Bryant–Denny Stadium. Against rival South Carolina, Dobbs passed for 255 yards and two touchdowns in the 27–24 home victory. Dobbs led Tennessee to a 9–4 record, which was the most wins for the Tennessee program since 2007. The 2015 season culminated with a 45–6 victory over the #12 Northwestern Wildcats in the 2016 Outback Bowl. In the bowl game, Dobbs had two rushing touchdowns.
2013
As a true freshman at the University of Tennessee in 2013, Dobbs played in five games with four starts after starter Justin Worley suffered an injury in a loss against the #1 Alabama Crimson Tide at Bryant–Denny Stadium. Dobbs came into the game and completed 5 of 12 passes for 75 yards. He made his first career start against the #10 Missouri Tigers at Faurot Field. He completed 26 of 42 passes for 240 yards in the 31–3 loss, which was the most passing yards in a freshman debut since 2004 (Erik Ainge (118) and Brent Schaefer (123) against the UNLV Rebels). After a 55–23 loss to the #7 Auburn Tigers and a 14–10 loss to the Vanderbilt Commodores, Dobbs put together a solid performance against the Kentucky Wildcats at Commonwealth Stadium. In the 27–14 victory, Dobbs threw his first two career touchdown passes and had a 40-yard rushing touchdown. Overall, he completed 72 of 121 passes for 695 yards with two touchdowns and six interceptions and also rushed for 189 yards and a touchdown in his true freshman season.
February 2013
Dobbs started playing football when he was five years old. He attended Wesleyan School and then Alpharetta High School. As a senior with the Alpharetta Raiders football team, he threw for 3,625 yards with 29 touchdowns. Dobbs was rated a three-star recruit by Rivals.com and a four-star by Scout.com. He originally committed to Arizona State University to play college football, but in February 2013, he changed his commitment to the University of Tennessee.
2016
Dobbs was inducted into Omicron Delta Kappa at Tennessee in 2016.
May 22, 2017
On May 22, 2017, the Pittsburgh Steelers signed Dobbs to a four-year, $2.95 million contract with a signing bonus of $554,295. He was named the starter for the Steelers' pre-season opener against the New York Giants. After two starts and four appearances during the pre-season, Dobbs spent his entire rookie season behind incumbent starter Ben Roethlisberger and long-term backup Landry Jones.
October 07, 2018
Dobbs made his NFL regular season debut on October 7, 2018, in a 41–17 Steelers win against the Atlanta Falcons, as on the final play of the game, he kneeled down. On November 4, 2018, in a 23–16 Steelers Week 9 victory against the Baltimore Ravens, Dobbs completed a 22-yard pass to JuJu Smith-Schuster, after stepping in for Ben Roethlisberger, who got injured on the previous play. In Week 14, against the Oakland Raiders, Dobbs once again stepped in for Roethlisberger, who suffered a rib injury. He finished 4-of-9 for 24 yards and one interception in the 24–21 loss. Overall, in the 2018 season, he appeared in five games and went 6-of-12 for 43 yards and one interception.
September 09, 2019
On September 9, 2019, Dobbs was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fifth-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft. Dobbs was traded after Mason Rudolph won the backup job for the Steelers, and Jaguars' quarterback Nick Foles sustained a broken clavicle during the season opener and was subsequently placed on injured reserve.
September 05, 2020
On September 5, 2020, Dobbs was waived by the Jaguars.
September 06, 2020
On September 6, 2020, Dobbs was claimed off waivers by the Pittsburgh Steelers, his former team. He re-signed with the Steelers on a one-year contract on April 19, 2021.
August 31, 2021
On August 31, 2021, Dobbs was placed on injured reserve.
April 09, 2022
On April 9, 2022, Dobbs signed a one-year, $1 million deal with the Cleveland Browns. He was waived on November 28, 2022, after Deshaun Watson returned from suspension.
December 05, 2022
On December 5, 2022, Dobbs was signed to the Detroit Lions practice squad.
December 21, 2022
On December 21, 2022, Dobbs was signed by the Tennessee Titans off the Lions practice squad.
March 23, 2023
On March 23, 2023, Dobbs signed with the Cleveland Browns.
