Pats Pulpit
Previewing the Patriots quarterback heading into his first season with the team.
After he lost his starting job to Drake Maye early in the 2024 season, it became clear that now-backup quarterback Jacoby Brissett would not be back with the New England Patriots in 2025. As a consequence, the team set out to find a new veteran to team up with the former first-round draft pick.
It found one in Joshua Dobbs. The career journeyman signed a two-year free agency deal to join the Patriots and reunite with his one-time head coach, Mike Vrabel.
Name: Joshua Dobbs
Position: Quarterback
Jersey number: 11
Opening day age: 30 (1/26/1995)
Measurements: 6’3 3/8”, 220 lbs, 32 5/8” arm length, 9 1/4” hand size, 4.84s 40-yard dash, 6.75s 3-cone drill, 4.31s short shuttle, 33” vertical jump, 10’2” broad jump, 9.60 Relative Athletic Score
NFL: Pittsburgh Steelers (2017-2019; 2020-21), Jacksonville Jaguars (2019), Cleveland Browns (2022; 2023), Detroit Lions (2022), Tennessee Titans (2022), Arizona Cardinals (2023), Minnesota Vikings (2023), San Francisco 49ers (2024), New England Patriots (2025-) | College: Tennessee (2013-16)
A well-regarded recruit out of Alpharetta High School in his Georgia hometown, Dobbs originally committed to Arizona State before flipping to the University of Tennessee. He spent four seasons with the Vols from 2013 on, appearing in 37 games with 35 starts. He left Knoxville having completed 61.5 of his passes for 7,138 yards, 53 touchdowns and 29 interceptions, while also averaging 4.9 yards per run and scoring 34 rushing TDs.
His college production and strong athletic profile led to Dobbs getting selected 135th overall in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Steelers. He ended up seeing minimal action before getting traded to Jacksonville in 2019 — the first in several relocations he experienced so far in his eight-year career in the pros.
In total, Dobbs is now on his ninth team since entering the NFL. A backup throughout, he has started 15 games and gone 344-of-549 for 3,281 yards with 17 touchdowns — plus 8 rushing TDs — and 15 interceptions.
Strengths: A well put-together player with good height and average weight, Dobbs complements his size with a strong athletic skillset. Both fast and quick, he is tough to bring down in the pocket and offers dual-threat potential as a runner with the football. He is able to shake defenders while simultaneously also having the burst and conviction to take advantage of escape lanes; as a result, Dobbs has been highly effective on scramble plays, averaging 8.3 yards per run over the course of his career.
As a passer, Dobbs has shown an ability to build off of his scrambling skills by making plays outside of the pocket or on the move. In the pocket, he has shown the desired poise and anticipation as well as some good ball placement particularly on throws over the middle. He can drive the ball down the field but also is not afraid of coming off...
