The Pittsburgh Steelers have reunited with the quarterback they drafted in 2017. Here’s why Joshua Dobbs will be a big upgrade over Devlin Hodges.
The Pittsburgh Steelers 2017 draft class was electrifying. First-round pick T.J. Watt has already developed into one of the most dominant edge defenders in the league, while JuJu Smith-Schuster was the youngest receiver in NFL history to reach 2,500 yards – surpassing the great Randy Moss. In addition, James Conner has been a solid running back, while Cameron Sutton has really blossomed in the secondary.
One of those players who is often forgotten is Joshua Dobbs. On top of being a certified rocket scientist, Dobbs is best known for his time spent as the quarterback for the Tennessee Volunteers. After Tennesse posted a losing record of 40-47 from 2008 to 2014, Dobbs led the Volunteers to an 18-8 record over the next two seasons. During which time, he compiled 67 total touchdowns to just 17 interceptions. He also rushed for 1,502 yards in 2015 and 2016.
The Steelers selected Dobbs in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. Though he struggled when he was asked to step in for Ben Roethlisberger against the Raiders in 2018, Dobbs was thoroughly impressive in training camp last season. In fact, many in Pittsburgh media thought he was ahead of Mason Rudolph in the quarterback race before preseason.
However, when Dobbs failed to capitalize in the preseason and Mason Rudolph had a few nice touchdown drives, they switched roles. Devlin Hodges also impressed at times and was a camp favorite. Because of this, the Steelers felt comfortable enough to trade Dobbs to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fifth-round pick.
Unfortunately, things didn’t go as planned for the Steelers. Rudolph showed some promise early in the season but really struggled as the year went on. When he went down, Hodges earned a few wins, but he ultimately graded out as the worst quarterback in the league in 2019, according to Pro Football Focus. Down the stretch, Hodges and Rudolph combined for just 30 points over the last three games of the season.
Steelers bringing back Josh Dobbs was the right move
Recently, Dobbs was waived by the Jaguars in an effort to cut their roster down to 53 players before the deadline. It took just a matter of hours before the Steelers gave him a call.
Clearly, Pittsburgh had one of the worst quarterback situations in the league last year after Ben went down. Despite one of the league’s best defensive units, the Steelers offense fell flat with Rudolph and Hodges. The latter was particularly bad.
In addition to throwing 8 interceptions on just 160 pass attempts, Hodges also averaged a dismal 5.0 adjusted yards per attempt, according to Pro Football Reference. While Hodges has some mobility within the pocket, he has a below-average arm strength with adequate velocity and spotty accuracy.
While Dobbs has struggled with accuracy issues of his own, there’s no question which quarterback is more talented. Dobbs tested as an 87.8 percentile athlete at the quarterback position coming out of college. His 6.75 3-cone drill was better than most wide receivers, including players like Brandin Cooks, Michael Thomas, and Adam Thielen.
Though Dobbs will be just a reserve quarterback for the Steelers, he should make a good scout team passer with his athletic traits and throwing arm. He may even be able to simulate a version of Lamar Jackson in practice to help get his team ready to play.
Though the Steelers have essentially already locked Rudolph into the number quarterback role, Dobbs is talented enough to compete for that job if he was given ample chance. At the very least, Dobbs will be an improvement over Devlin Hodges if he ever hears his number called on gameday.