Josh Dobbs is getting his shot. Traded to the Arizona Cardinals just two weeks ago, all signs point to him getting the nod this opening weekend against the Washington Commanders.
Though Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon has declined to announce a starting quarterback, officially listing Dobbs and rookie Clayton Tune as co-starters on their depth chart, NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport expects Dobbs to be the starter this weekend. He tweeted the news moments ago.
The more experienced player, starting Dobbs has been the anticipated move. While he’s new to the team, he spent time with Cardinals OC Drew Petzing in Cleveland last year, accelerating his learning curve. Dobbs is also one of the smartest players in football and has been around the league long enough to quickly pick things up. The path to starting opened once the team released veteran Colt McCoy, the favorite for the job throughout the offseason.
A fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2017, Dobbs threw just 17 career passes for the Steelers, never making a start. Pittsburgh traded him to Jacksonville in 2019, one week before losing Ben Roethlisberger to a season-ending elbow injury. Dobbs returned to the team in 2020, appearing in just one game. Last season, he spent time with Cleveland and the Tennessee Titans, starting two games for the latter late in the year. He completed less than 60 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions, losing both games.
Dobbs signed back with Cleveland in the offseason before he was traded to Arizona on Aug. 24, losing the Browns’ backup job to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson. Now, he is in line to start this Sunday against the Commanders.
Arizona is considered one of the worst teams in football and in full-blown rebuild mode. How long Dobbs starts remains to be seen but for now, he’ll get to open a season as a starter. And perhaps he’ll see the Steelers later this year. Pittsburgh and Arizona square off in Week 13, though it’s possible Kyler Murray returns by then. Murray tore his ACL last season and is still rehabbing from the injury.
