Now that the 2019 NFL Draft is underway, and the roster heading into the offseason is close to finalized—though always fluid—it’s time to take stock of where the Pittsburgh Steelers stand. Specifically where Steelers players stand individually based on what we have seen happen over the course of the past few months.
A stock evaluation can take a couple of different approaches and I’ll try to make clear my reasonings. In some cases it will be based on more long-term trends, such as an accumulation of offseason activity. In other instances it will be a direct response to something that just happened. So we can see a player more than once over the course of the summer as we head toward training camp.
Player: QB Joshua Dobbs
Stock Value: Even
Over the course of this offseason, we have heard a lot about, and even from, second-year quarterback Mason Rudolph. When it comes to the team’s actual backup quarterback, however, things have been a big more quiet. Joshua Dobbs hasn’t been interviewed nearly as much, nor has he been talked about much.
Frankly, the thing that I have probably read about the most about him so far through spring drills was when it’s been noted that somebody recorded an interception, and it was mentioned that Dobbs was in at quarterback.
That doesn’t mean others haven’t been throwing interceptions. Joe Haden picked off Ben Roethlisberger on the first snap of Seven Shots of the year. I’m sure that Rudolph has been picked off as well. It happens.
But what we haven’t really seen is much talk about Dobbs continuing to grow, which is a bit odd considering that he is still a young player and is, until he’s not, just a snap away from starting. Rudolph is the basket everyone is putting their eggs in, but he still has to actually beat out Dobbs to take over his job as the backup quarterback.
Let me be clear in saying that this is as much about a lack of information as it is about anything else. The fact is that Dobbs’ progress through the spring isn’t something that has been covered very much at all so far, so it’s hard to say anything about him. Maybe he has grown by leaps and bounds, but it’s hard to determine that based on what is available on the outside.
Either way, it should be a fun summer to watch the two young quarterbacks battle it out for the backup job. They figure to see the vast majority of the playing time during the preseason. I think Roethlisberger played about 25 snaps last year, and there is no Landry Jones this time. Devlin Hodges may not even play this preseason.
