In the first 10 weeks of the 2023 season, quarterback Josh Dobbs is taking the NFL by storm.
He’s become quite the story after being traded after training camp from the Cleveland Browns to the Arizona Cardinals, becoming Arizona’s starter and having success. Then, two weeks ago Dobbs was dealt to the Minnesota Vikings at the trade deadline to replace Kirk Cousins after he went down with a season-ending injury. He’s since put together two impressive showings, leading the Vikings to two wins, becoming the talk of the NFL.
For former Pittsburgh Steelers teammate and friend Cameron Heyward, he’s very proud of Dobbs and how he’s handling everything and performing in a whirlwind year. But, he added. on the latest episode of his “Not Just Football w/ Cam Heyward” show that he’s not all that surprised with Dobbs’ performance.
“I’m proud of him. I just hope the Minnesota Vikings have his jersey ready to go because Arizona Cardinals did not. Luckily Rob got outta that situation and now ‘Rob’ Josh Dobbs is killing it,” Heyward said to co-host Hayden Walsh, according to video via the NFL on ESPN’s YouTube page. “I think he was responsible for like five touchdowns this past week. And man, this dude is just…as good as a player he is on the field, he’s a better person off. I’m excited for him.
“He’s making a market for himself and you gotta be proud of a guy like that.”
Good news for Heyward: the Minnesota Vikings do have Dobbs No. 15 jerseys available for purchase in the team store, avoiding some embarrassment that the Cardinals experienced early in the season with Dobbs posting a TikTok about it.
But as Heyward said, Dobbs is killing it.
In two games with the Vikings, Dobbs has thrown for 426 yards and three touchdowns, coming off the bench in his first game against the Atlanta Falcons, learning the playbook on the fly through his headset, leading Minnesota to a come-from-behind 31-28 win over the Falcons. Then, after actually getting practice time with the Vikings last week leading up to the matchup with the New Orleans Saints, Dobbs went out and dominated. He threw for 269 yards and a touchdown, adding a rushing touchdown in the 27-19 win over the Saints.
Prior to his stint in Minnesota, Dobbs had thrown for 1,569 yards and eight touchdowns to five interceptions. He added 257 rushing yards and three touchdowns on 57 carries for the Cardinals, giving the offense some life, though Arizona was 1-7 with Dobbs.
All Dobbs need though was an opportunity. He’s getting one now and taking advantage.
“You know, all you need is opportunity. And when guys are ready for those opportunities, I saw the way Josh would prepare, go into meetings, how he would talk, be open and just really take advantage of just scout team reps,” Heyward said, according to video via the NFL on ESPN YouTube page. “There’s a lost art in being ready for your moment and, and what being ready for your moments is you’ve practiced, you’ve done things right on and off the field. Josh would take advantage of that.
“He would prepare his tail off. He would try to dice up the defense when he got a chance to, and now we’re seeing that he’s having a lot more success.”
Heyward isn’t the only one to praise Dobbs in recent days. Former Steelers quarterback and longtime teammate Ben Roethlisberger spoke glowingly of the former Steelers backup quarterback, stating he was so happy and proud of Dobbs’ performance in 2023. Head coach Mike Tomlin called Dobbs a “special dude” on Tuesday.
The Steelers still love and admire Dobbs, even if his success is coming in a different jersey.
Dobbs got his opportunity and is taking advantage of it. That’s a credit to him for being ready and having the type of talent he has. It’s a lost art in today’s NFL, but Dobbs is a master of it.
