Arizona Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs may never have developed into the long-term backup quarterback for the Pittsburgh Steelers, but he has always been a fan favorite as well as a guy who has been beloved by his teammates and coaching staff.
Dobbs came to Pittsburgh as a fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft, eventually winning the backup job behind Roethlisberger a season later, but would later get traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 as Mason Rudolph won the backup job. Dobbs would return to Pittsburgh in 2020 spending the season with the team where he supported Roethlisberger on the sidelines during the season.
Appearing as a guest on Not Just Football with Cam Heyward, Dobbs mentioned one of his favorite memories during his time in Pittsburgh was a play that he told Ben to run against the Cleveland Browns in 2020, ultimately making him look like a genius in football to add to his degree as an aerospace engineering major.
“We actually played Cleveland. I don’t know if it was COVID year or not, but Ben [Roethlisberger] was out there doing his no-huddle thing, and I told him to call a play,” Dobbs said on Not Just Football, which aired on the show’s YouTube channel. “I was like ‘Yo Ben, call this play.’ He called it. Threw a touchdown on it and gave me a shoutout. That was one of my favorite memories. He trusted me.”
The play Dobbs is referring to came against the Cleveland Browns in Week Six of the 2020 season at Pittsburgh where Roethlisberger dropped back to pass, pump-faking a pass to the right to get CB Denzel Ward to bite, getting WR James Washington wide open in the end zone for a walk-in touchdown to put Pittsburgh up 24-0 in the second quarter.
Dobbs dialed up the play for Ben and Ben executed, getting the score, and giving credit to Dobbs for the play call as well as his mental acumen for the game. Roethlisberger and Dobbs have had a great relationship on the field together since Dobbs was drafted, crediting Roethlisberger for helping him become a starter, playing in meaningful games with the Tennessee Titans last season and is starting for the Cardinals this season with Kyler Murray on the mend. For a quarterback who has bounced around the league, having that memory stick out to him as one of his favorites truly speaks to the friendship that he and Roethlisberger shared.
