Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Josh Dobbs’ success and football journey over the last year has been one of the best stories in football this season. After his first win with the Minnesota Vikings just days after the team acquired him via trade, Dobbs gave credit to his first head coach, Mike Tomlin, for preparing him for any situation. Tomlin was asked about Dobbs’ comments and credited who he is as a person for some of his success.
“Josh is a special dude. He’s a smart dude, he’s a football lover, he’s charismatic. But I imagine the people who have had an exposure to him over the last 12 months in different cities share that perspective,” Tomlin said via the Steelers’ YouTube channel.
Dobbs is on his fourth organization since the end of the 2022 season, as he ended the year as the starting quarterback for the Tennessee Titans. He signed with the Cleveland Browns for his second stint with the organization over the offseason but was traded to the Arizona Cardinals in the preseason where he started eight games. After Kirk Cousins suffered a season-ending injury, he was traded to Minnesota where he’s led the Vikings to wins over the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints.
Dobbs led Minnesota to a comeback win over Atlanta on Nov. 5 after being acquired the previous Tuesday, and it was after that game that he credited Tomlin for preparing him.
“But then it was…hey, if you are playing you gotta go out there and play. The team still expects you to go out and win and play good football. In this league, there’s never an excuse for your circumstance. I learned that from Coach T,” Dobbs told reported after Week Nine.
Dobbs had an awesome performance in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints, throwing for 268 yards and a touchdown through the air and adding 44 yards and a touchdown on the ground in a 27-19 Minnesota win. Selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft, Dobbs played just 39 snaps in Pittsburgh as a backup to Ben Roethlisberger but is experiencing a resurgence in the seventh year of his career.
Dobbs is an easy guy to root for, and it’s no surprise that Tomlin is happy with his success. He seems like a great guy on and off the field, and he’s now in the thick of the playoff race with Minnesota. Hopefully, he can continue to build upon the success he’s had with the organization under head coach Kevin O’Connell and continue to establish himself as a legitimate starting quarterback in the NFL.
