Could Josh Dobbs be the QB Matt Canada likes for the Steelers?

Josh Dobbs hasn’t drawn much attention lately, but here’s why Steelers offensive coordinator Matt Canada could perhaps prefer the athletic quarterback. 

As long as Ben Roethlisberger remains on the team, he’s going to be Pittsburgh’s starting quarterback – for better or for worse. After the collapse we witnessed late in the 2020 season, fans are really hoping that the new offensive coordinator, Matt Canada, can help turn this sinking ship around.

Earlier this offseason, the Steelers had brought in former Washington quarterback and first-round pick, Dwayne Haskins. After a falling out in Washington, Haskins was released just two years into his rookie deal. Later, Pittsburgh would also re-sign Joshua Dobbs – making him the fourth quarterback on their roster ahead of the 2021 season.

Many fans seem to be determined that Haskins is the quarterback that will lead this team in the future after Ben Roethlisberger is gone. The former 15th overall pick in 2019 had elite college production at Ohio State and has a pretty big arm that could be seen on occasion over the past two years. However, the media might be overselling him just a bit.

In fact, I can certainly see a scenario in which Josh Dobbs is the quarterback of choice for Matt Canada; not Dwayne Haskins.

Why Canada could prefer Dobbs for Steelers new offense

It’s hard to say how much we can expect things to change on Pittsburgh’s offense in 2021. Canada has expressed how he wants to give Roethlisberger a set number of plays that he is familiar with as not to create too many ripples in the offense all at once. However, one thing we know about the new offensive coordinator through his history as a college coach is that he loves to run play-action and pre-snap motion.

Unlike Pittsburgh’s offense under Randy Fichtner, much more movement is required of a Matt Canada quarterback – even the ability to take off and run with the ball at times. This is where Dobbs comes in.

Though Canada may not have any intentions of using Dobbs as his future franchise quarterback, that doesn’t mean he can’t add instant value to the roster. In recent years, some of the NFL’s most innovative offensive minds have created special packages for athletic quarterbacks to mix things up on offense. Taysom Hill is a perfect example of this. Despite having an aging Hall of Fame quarterback that could still command the offense, Hill was brought in as a spark for the Saints – offering some looks that Brees could not.

Perhaps Canada could do something similar with Josh Dobbs. We know that the former Tennessee star is a terrific athlete at the quarterback position. He would have no issue coming in and mixing things up for the Steelers. His ability to run stretch play-action in addition to being a threat to run with the ball on pre-snap motion plays could be enough to keep the defense on their toes or freeze them altogether.

With just 17 career NFL passes, Dobbs has never really been given much of a chance to prove himself in this league. As offenses look to become more creative, there is certainly a world that Matt Canada would prefer a quarterback like Josh Dobbs over a player like Dwayne Haskins. It will be interesting to see if Dobbs becomes a preference of Canada’s in his new-look offense.