The Joshua Dobbs experiment didn't last long with the Pittsburgh Steelers, but that doesn't mean the former Tennessee star didn't go on to have a successful NFL career. Dobbs was the Steelers' fourth-round pick in the 2017 NFL Draft.
Now, a decade after his pro football career began, Dobbs still has a prominent role to play.
On Sunday, NFL insider Mike Garafolo announced that Dobbs is signing a one-year, $1.425 million contract with the Detroit Lions. The deal includes $475k fully guaranteed, and Garafolo suggests that the Lions are making a significant commintment to Dobbs as their No. 2 quarterback for the 2026 season.
Over his 10 years in the NFL, Dobbs has now been on 11 teams. During this time, he's served as a backup and a stop-gap starter. The climax of his career came with the Minnesota Vikings, where Dobbs showcased his arm and leg talent with an impressive short stretch soon after being traded from the Arizona Cardinals.
And had the Steelers known Dobbs would still be hanging around as a QB2 a decade after they drafted him, they might not have ever let him go to begin with.
Former Pittsburgh Steelers QB Joshua Dobbs lands ideal backup role with the Detroit Lions
Not many would have predicted that Josh Dobbs would have found himself as a primary backup this late into his NFL career, especially considering how much he's bounced around the league. However, Detroit is a perfect landing spot for the veteran quarterback.
At any given moment, Dobbs is just one play away from entering an NFL game on a Lions team oozing with offensive talent. While Detroit suffered losses to the offensive line in recent years, they have arguably the best tackle in the league in Penei Sewell, while possessing an excellent trio of pass-catchers in Amon-Ra St. Brown, Jamison Williams, and tight end Sam LaPorta.
The Lions also have the league's most explosive running back in Jahmyr Gibbs, who just earned a record-setting contract. This favorable situation could not only help Dobbs weather the storm if starting quarterback Jared Goff were to miss action this year, but it could also help him look like a starting-caliber option at the position.
Considering their current state, the Steelers didn't have a need for Dobbs on their roster in 2026; their QB room is crowded as it is. But if the organization had known how long their former fourth-round pick would have been sticking around the league in a prominent role, maybe they never would have let him walk away in the first place.
Josh Dobbs will get yet another chance to show he can be a quality No. 2 quarterback in this league, and his new situation is perfect.
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