Pats Pulpit
As part of an organization-wide shakeup under incoming head coach Mike Vrabel this offseason, the New England Patriots also restructured their quarterback room behind starter Drake Maye. Veteran backup Jacoby Brissett was not retained in free agency, while developmental third-stringer Joe Milton was traded to the Dallas Cowboys.
To replace those two, the Patriots signed veteran Joshua Dobbs in free agent and later also added undrafted rookie Ben Wooldridge. Their order of arrival has also been their standing on the depth chart ever since: Dobbs slid right into the QB2 spot, with Wooldridge effectively a less-toolsy version of Joe Milton.
Halfway through training camp, that pecking order remains intact. And according to Vrabel, there are no serious debates about a change yet — despite Dobbs having some struggles recently.
“Josh is the backup right now,” Vrabel confirmed ahead of the Patriots’ second joint practice with the Minnesota Vikings on Thursday. “Not that that couldn’t change. You know, Ben’s working hard, and we’ll see. We’re always trying to strengthen the roster each and every day, but Josh is in there.”
Dobbs came to Foxborough in March to primarily fill the role held by Jacoby Brissett down the stretch in 2024. A veteran of eight NFL seasons and eight different teams before joining the Patriots, he was acquired to serve as a veteran mentor for Maye; the fact that he has 15 career starts on his résumé, and also spent time with Mike Vrabel in Tennessee, likely did not hurt either.
The 30-year-old has exclusively run the second-string offense ever since putting his signature under a two-year, $8 million contract in March. Recently, however, his performances have not lived up to his status as a seemingly undisputed commodity on the roster.
Dobbs went just 5-for-12 for 45 yards in the Patriots’ preseason opener against the Washington Commanders, clearly leaving some plays on the field thanks to uneven accuracy. He followed up that particular outing with a rough performance on Day 1 of Vikings joint practices on Wednesday: he threw a pair of interceptions against his former team, including one that would have been a pick-six in a game setting.
For Vrabel, there is no secret. It’s all about consistency.
“Josh just has to be more consistent,” he said Thursday. “Had an unfortunate interception in a two-minute drill and throwing it into robber, and ball placement has to be better, and just the timing and all these things that we work on. He’s getting the same looks that Drake’s getting, and it’s not easy, but that’s not an excuse. I’m not using that as an excuse. Just saying we have to take care of football.”
Wooldridge has been better in that department lately, but the 25-year-old also has not seen nearly as many quality reps as Dobbs let alone Maye. And so, at least for the time being, the Patriots’ depth chart at the most important position on the field remains unchanged.
