Ex-Steelers quarterback would be an improvement over two garbage NFL starters

The NFL is entering a historic era for quarterbacks. Patrick Mahomes has already reached legendary status, and Josh Allen can carry an untalented team on his shoulders. Meanwhile, players like C.J. Stroud, Brock Purdy, and Jordan Love prove the next generation of QBs is in good hands. Unfortunately, there are a few bottom-dwellers who have no business holding down starting jobs.

The Pittsburgh Steelers went through this over the past few years. Since the retirement of Ben Roethlisberger, the trio of Kenny Pickett, Mitch Trubisky, and Mason Rudolph proved ineffective.

But as bad as these three signal-callers are, they might be on the same level as a few NFL starting quarterbacks in 2024.

I had a chance to go back and watch every NFL game from Week 1. Several quarterback performances were almost impossible to stomach. Giants' QB Daniel Jones earned just 186 yards on a whopping 42 pass attempts (4.4 yards per attempt) and two picks for a dismal 44.3 passer rating. New York was humiliated on their own turf by Sam Darnold and the Vikings in a 28-6 loss.

Meanwhile, former number-one overall pick Bryce Young completed 13 of 30 passes for 161 yards and two interceptions in a 37-point loss to the Saints. Young took four sacks and recorded a passer rating of 32.8 in Week 1.

NFL teams make a lot of foolish decisions, and here are two perfect examples. The Giants handed Jones $40 million per season on a contract extension in 2023, while Young was significantly less talented than C.J. Stroud and Anthony Richardson, who went after him in the 2023 NFL Draft.

Ironically, one former Steelers quarterback who has been passed around the league would prove to be a better option for either the Giants or the Panthers and would put both Daniel Jones and Bryce Young to shame.

Former Steelers QB Josh Dobbs could start on Giants, Panthers

I'm not claiming that Panthers head coach Dave Canales is ready to give up on Young at quarterback, but perhaps he should be. In his first season, the undersized quarterback with pedestrian traits showed zero signs of life.

Meanwhile, Giants head coach Brian Daboll would probably love any QB not named Daniel Jones to step in and be competent at the position. Josh Dobbs could do exactly that for either team.

The former Steelers quarterback has been on numerous teams but found success as recently as the 2023 season. On a whim, he was able to give the Arizona Cardinals a spark. In Week 3, Dobbs completed 17 of 21 passes and earned a passer rating of 120.0 against the Dallas Cowboys to lead his team to victory. In this contest, he pitched in 6 carries for 55 yards on the ground.

In Week 9, Dobbs was traded to the Vikings where he led Minnesota where he didn't even learn the names of his players before he was asked to start. Dobbs' offense scored a combined 58 points in a pair of wins with his new team with a passer rating of over 101 in both contests.

Eventually, the 2017 fourth-round pick of the Steelers fell out of favor with the Vikings. He signed with the 49ers during the 2024 offseason and is riding the bench as a reserve QB for San Francisco. However, his highlight plays this summer made him look like a star during the preseason.

Nicknamed 'The Passtronaut' for his aerospace engineering degree, we've seen enough of Dobbs to know that he is never going to be the most consistent quarterback. But at 6'3'' and 220 pounds with a cannon arm and fantastic mobility, Dobbs undeniably offers more than players like Daniel Jones and Bryce Young.

There are some garbage quarterbacks in the league who are not only bad, they're also boring to watch. Josh Dobbs would give these bottom dwellers like the Giants and Panthers some excitement if he was running the show in 2024.