Josh Dobbs agrees to terms with the Patriots
The Patriots have a new backup quarterback.
With Jacoby Brissett a free agent, New England has agreed to terms with veteran Josh Dobbs.
His agent, Mike McCartney, announced the move on Twitter. It’s a two-year deal.
Dobbs started a pair of late-season games for the Titans in 2022, when Pats coach Mike Vrabel was the head coach in Tennessee. With limited prep after being signed from the Detroit practice squad, Dobbs played well (albeit in two losses, including a Week 18 AFC South championship game against the Jaguars).
The Patriots will be his ninth overall team. Dobbs was selected by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2017 draft. The Steelers traded him to the Jaguars early in the 2019 season. He returned to the Steelers the next year, and he has also spent time with the Browns, Cardinals, Vikings, and 49ers.
A 2023 in-season trade to Minnesota after the Kirk Cousins Achilles tendon tear resulted in Dobbs becoming the guy after Jaren Hall suffered a concussion at Atlanta. He won that game and was 2-2 until he was benched for Nick Mullens.
He made two late-season appearances for San Francisco, including a Week 18 start.
Dobbs has 23 regular-season appearances and 15 starts.
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Instant grade for the Patriots signing Joshua Dobbs in NFL free agency
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The Patriots have added a backup quarterback.
There are no questions about who sits atop the New England Patriots quarterback depth chart. The backup spots behind Drake Maye, however, are up for grabs and the team just added an experienced passer to compete with sophomore Joe Milton for the QB2 role: Joshua Dobbs was added via a two-year, $8 million pact.
Let’s grade it.
Bernd Buchmasser: Dobbs joining the Patriots was not an unexpected outcome given his connections to head coach Mike Vrabel and quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant. He adds a veteran presence behind the youngsters in the room, but paying him a reported average of $4 million per year seems like a lot relative to his contractual history. | Grade: C-
Matt St. Jean: Dobbs can play QB and is a professional. He raises the floor on the backup position and provides another arm for camp. | Grade: C
Pat Lane: Patriots needed a veteran QB to mentor the young guys, and Dobbs is as good a backup as any other. He’s a professional who spent time with Vrabel in Tennessee. Ideally, he’s never going to see the field, but the hope is that Maye and Milton can learn from him, and take their games to a higher level. | Grade: C
Dobbs originally entered the NFL as a fourth-round draft pick in 2017, but never had much staying power over the course of his career. The Patriots will be his ninth different team since turning pro, and that does not include two separate stints in both Pittsburgh and Cleveland.
What do you think about the signing, though? Do you like it? Do you not? Please head to the comment section to discuss.
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Instant grade: Patriots sign Joshua Dobbs to 2-year, $8 million deal
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Patriots Sign Former Steelers QB
A well-travelled former Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback has landed in a new destination on the first day of free agency.
Per his agent Mike McCartney, Josh Dobbs has agreed to a two-year deal with the New England Patriots, where he’ll serve as the backup to Drake Maye.
The contract is worth $8 million with $3.8 million guaranteed, according to NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
He’ll also reunite with Mike Vrabel, who was his head coach with the Tennessee Titans in 2022 and is entering his first season in that role with the Patriots.
Dobbs spent 2024 with the San Francisco 49ers backing up Brock Purdy, throwing for 361 yards, two touchdowns and two interceptions in parts of two games.
He began his career as a fourth-round pick of the Steelers in 2017. The Tennessee product played in six games over two campaigns in his initial stint with Pittsburgh and racked up just 45 passing yards.
Pittsburgh traded Dobbs to the Jacksonville Jaguars in September 2019, though he’d return after the Steelers claimed him off waivers in September 2020. He suited up for just one game that season, however, and would go on to sign with the Cleveland Browns in April 2022.
Dobbs has also spent time with the Detroit Lions, Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings. In total, he’s logged 3,281 yards, 17 touchdowns and 15 interceptions in 23 games.
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