The Pittsburgh Steelers know that they have one too many quarterbacks in the room. I don’t know that they have much of a plan for how it will play out for the number two and number three positions on the roster. Presumably, there are only three things that they know for sure.
One is that Ben Roethlisberger will be their starting quarterback this year. Two is that Mason Rudolph will definitely be on the roster. And three is that there will be three quarterbacks on the roster. No more, no less. Three shall be the number they shall count, and the number of the counting shall be three. Four shall they not count, neither count to two, excepting that they then proceed to three. Five is right out.
Unless something unforeseen takes care of the situation for them, one of Landry Jones or Joshua Dobbs will not be on the 53-man roster in 2018. Jones is a sixth-year veteran with a few years of experience being the team’s primary backup, and has some starts under his belt. Dobbs has never played an NFL snap, entering his second season as a 2017 fourth-round pick.
But Dobbs appears to be taking it all in stride. Jeremy Fowler spoke with him earlier today about the quarterback situation, telling the EPSN reporter, “I know how the league works. It’s just another opportunity to have competition. I’m sure it will be a great addition to the room”.
Spoke to Josh Dobbs about the Steelers drafting Mason Rudolph. He’s not taking the addition personally and is ready to compete at camp. pic.twitter.com/ZzoqEHiP6D
— Jeremy Fowler (@JFowlerESPN) May 4, 2018
There has been intense debate since the Steelers selected Rudolph in the 2018 NFL Draft about which quarterback will be left out. There are strong opinions in favor of either candidate, each side believing it’s obvious that that particular quarterback be the one kept on the roster.
Even quarterback Ben Roethlisberger wondered what the selection of Rudolph meant about Dobbs, however, asking whether it meant that the team ‘screwed up’ the quarterback selection a year ago. Understandably, there is pressure on the young man.
For his part, Dobbs said that the team was “really excited with how I performed last year in the preseason and in practices and overall preparation. It’s like you can’t really take it personal. They are always looking for the next player”.
Dobbs received the vast majority of the playing time last season with Roethlisberger and Jones combining for very little work, Jones nursing an injury at the time. He helped the Steelers to a 3-1 preseason record, completing 59.4 percent of his passes and throwing two touchdowns (running for another) against three interceptions.
“Your play speaks for itself”, he said. “That’s all you can do, show the leaps and bounds I made last year, continue to progress and add new ideas. I plan on being [in training camp] and plan to compete. When you’re a true competitor, you rise to the competition”.
