Joshua Dobbs

Browns To Bring Back QB Josh Dobbs

8:17pm: The deal will save the Browns some at their QB2 spot. Dobbs agreed to a one-year deal worth $2MM fully guaranteed, Tom Pelissero of NFL.com tweets.

6:26pm: Josh Dobbs spent much of last season in Cleveland, but he ended up in two other cities to close the campaign. Following Jacoby Brissett‘s Washington exit, the Browns are bringing his former understudy back.

The Browns are signing Dobbs to a one-year deal, according to his agent (on Twitter). This will be the second time in Dobbs’ career he will have reunited with a team. The ex-Steelers draftee enjoyed multiple stints in Pittsburgh as well, but he is now positioned to become Deshaun Watson‘s backup.

Originally added in April 2022 to back up Brissett while Watson served a suspension, the length of which being unknown at the time Dobbs signed. Dobbs ended up playing that role for 11 games. Brissett proved durable in Cleveland; Dobbs did not take a snap with the Browns last year. But he outplayed Malik Willis with the Titans, helping Tennessee provide Jacksonville a Week 18 scare despite being down many pieces on offense.

Between Cleveland and Nashville, Dobbs wound up in Detroit. But the Titans signed him off the Lions’ practice squad soon after the Lions picked him up. Ryan Tannehill ended up being lost for the season at that point, requiring more help in Tennessee. Despite being with the team barely a week, Dobbs overtook Willis as the Titans’ starter for the season’s final two games. In Week 18, he completed 20 of 29 passes for 179 yards in a 20-16 loss to the Jaguars.

The Browns have restructured Watson’s contract, adding a void year (2027) to it and spiking the starter’s cap numbers from 2024-26 into a new financial stratosphere. Watson is now tied to $63.9MM cap numbers in those seasons, and although the 2022 trade pickup’s 2023 cap figure dropped from $54.9MM to $19.1MM, it still makes sense for the Browns to add a low-cost backup. It should be expected Dobbs’ deal will check in south of Brissett’s 2022 money ($4.65MM).

Dobbs’ relevant NFL work almost all came in January. Despite arriving in the league as a 2017 fourth-round pick, Dobbs threw only 17 passes over his first five seasons. But the quarterback/rocket scientist worked in Kevin Stefanski‘s system for eight months last year and finished the season with some surprising contributions to the AFC South race. Although the Browns have former Vikings third-rounder Kellen Mond in their quarterback room, Dobbs’ role last year points to the elder passer having the leg up for the 2023 QB2 gig.

Titans Name Joshua Dobbs Week 18 Starter

Entering this week’s winner-take-all game to decide the AFC South, it had been an open question with respect to who the Titans would start at quarterback. Head coach Mike Vrabel put the issue to rest on Monday, naming Joshua Dobbs the team’s Week 18 starter.

The move comes as little surprise given the fact that the veteran got the nod for Tennessee’s Thursday night loss to the Cowboys. That decision, in turn, came just over one week after the veteran was signed off the Lions’ practice squad to give the team another healthy option under center.

Dobbs completed 20-of-39 passes last week, totaling 232 yards, one touchdown and one interception. The loss against Dallas carried zero playoff implications for the Titans, so they rested a number of key players to protect against injury in advance of their crucial matchup with the Jaguars. One starter who was sidelined out of necessity, of course, was starting signal-caller Ryan Tannehill.

Tannehill suffered an ankle injury in Week 15, and his availability for the remainder of the season remains very much in doubt. While the Pro Bowler has not been shut down this season, he is not expected to see the field again until next year. That pointed to rookie backup Malik Willis taking over for last week’s game as a means of gaining much-needed experience, but Dobbs was Vrabel’s preferred choice.

Today’s announcement confirms that Vrabel trusts Dobbs more at this point in his career than the third-rounder for a must-win contest, despite the lack of familiarity the former has within the team’s offense. In three starts this year, including Week 16, Willis has attempted only 49 passes and totaled 234 yards. He has added 95 yards on the ground over that span, at times demonstrating the dual-threat ability which made him one of the top options in the 2021 QB draft class.

Willis will once again remain on the sidelines for on Saturday, however, with the Titans’ playoff hopes resting on their ability to halt a six-game losing streak. There is a scenario in which the Jaguars could make the playoffs as a Wild Card team, but for Tennessee the only path to the playoffs is a division title which seemed all-but certain until recently. Their ability to win the AFC South will be decided in no small part by Dobbs’ ability to further acclimate himself to his newest team in the coming days.

Titans To Start Joshua Dobbs Vs. Cowboys

The Titans are not exactly going into Thursday night’s Cowboys game with a clear intent to win. The injury-plagued team is planning to rest numerous starters, with a Week 18 date against the Jaguars set to determine its playoff fate.

But Tennessee will make an interesting change at quarterback. Rather than give Malik Willis more reps in his rookie season, the Titans are preparing to start recent acquisition Joshua Dobbs, Justin Melo of The Draft Network tweets. Tennessee brought in Dobbs on Dec. 21, with Ryan Tannehill out with an ankle injury. Tannehill is not expected to return this season, though the starter has not shut it down just yet.

A former Tennessee Volunteer, Dobbs has bounced around in the pros. The sixth-year backup has been with three teams just this year, moving from Cleveland to Detroit to Nashville over the past month. The former fourth-round pick has not thrown any regular-season passes this season; his most recent game work came in 2020 with the Steelers. The Browns signed Dobbs this offseason and used him as Jacoby Brissett‘s backup for much of the year, but once Deshaun Watson was eligible to play, Cleveland cut bait. Dobbs landed in Detroit, but Tennessee poached him from the Lions’ practice squad.

Dobbs has seen most of his NFL work come in the preseason, and the Titans’ Week 17 lineup will have the look of an August matchup. Tennessee placed O-line starters Nate Davis and Ben Jones on IR last week, and the team will be without right tackle starter Nicholas Petit-Frere against Dallas. With Taylor Lewan out of the picture, the Titans will deploy basically a second-string O-line tonight. While Willis’ early work points to extensive development being needed, the Titans may be leery of putting the third-round pick behind this set of blockers against a top-tier Cowboys pass rush.

In an arrangement that will surely test Al Michaels’ patience, Titans will also sit Jeffery Simmons, Denico Autry, Amani Hooker, Bud Dupree and Zach Cunningham. Oh, and they are unlikely to deploy Derrick Henry, who is doubtful with a hip injury. This sets up an unusual Week 17 and an odd Week 18 plan. The Titans look like they will be trying to salvage their season in Jacksonville next week on the heels of a six-game losing streak. Even if the Titans drop to 7-9 tonight, the AFC South will be on the line next week.

Willis has shown some promise in the run game but has looked woefully overmatched through the air. The mid-major product has not eclipsed 100 passing yards in any of his three pro starts and has a 0-3 TD-INT ratio on 61 pass attempts. It will be interesting if the Titans turn back to Willis or go with Dobbs (17 career attempts) against the Jaguars, when they reconvene for relevant football, next week.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/21/22

Today’s minor moves:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Los Angeles Chargers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Titans Sign QB Joshua Dobbs Off Lions’ Practice Squad

For the second time in a month, the Lions lost a quarterback off their practice squad. The Titans are signing Joshua Dobbs, according to his agent (on Twitter).

This move follows the Bears’ signing of Tim Boyle late last month. Tennessee’s Dobbs move casts more doubt on Ryan Tannehill‘s Week 16 availability. The fourth-year Titans starter aggravated his ankle injury last week, and although he returned to the Chargers game not too long after going down, he is believed to be facing an uphill battle to play this week.

Dobbs, 27, will join Tannehill and Malik Willis on the Titans’ 53-man roster. Because he is being signed off another team’s practice squad, the well-traveled backup must remain on Tennessee’s active roster for at least three weeks. The Titans will be Dobbs’ third team this year.

The Browns signed Dobbs in April and used him as Jacoby Brissett‘s backup for much of this season, but the team released him ahead of Deshaun Watson‘s first game back from his suspension. In the wake of the Bears’ Boyle poaching, the Lions added Dobbs to their P-squad earlier this month.

This transaction will bring Dobbs back to Tennessee. The 27-year-old passer became a fourth-round draft choice after playing for the Volunteers from 2013-16. The Steelers took Dobbs in the 2017 draft, and he has spent much of his career with the team. Dobbs has been a career reserve option, appearing in six games — all with the Steelers — off the bench. He has thrown 17 career passes. This move will provide the Titans, who do not have a quarterback on their taxi squad, with some depth.

Minor NFL Transactions: 12/17/22

Today’s minor moves:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Chicago Bears

Dallas Cowboys

  • Promoted: C Brock Hoffman

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

Los Angeles Chargers

Los Angeles Rams

Miami Dolphins

New Orleans Saints

New York Giants

New York Jets

Philadelphia Eagles

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Washington Commanders

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 12/5/22

Today’s taxi squad moves:

Baltimore Ravens

Denver Broncos

Detroit Lions

New England Patriots

Dobbs’ arrival in Detroit comes not long after he visited the Lions on a workout. The journeyman will provide depth behind starter Jared Goff and backup Nate Sudfeld on the taxi squad, after the Bears signed Tim Boyle to their active roster last week.

NFL Workout Rumors: Basham, Dobbs, Raiders, Beckham

Veteran defensive end Tarell Basham is quickly back to work in trying to secure his spot on an NFL roster, spending the day with the Titans on a free agent visit, according to ESPN’s Field Yates. He’s been available for three days and has clearly been busy attempting to find his fourth NFL home.

This display of resiliency is nothing new for the 28-year-old. After disappointing as a third-round pick in Indianapolis, Basham was waived partway through only his sophomore season in the league. He was claimed the next day by the Jets but failed to produce much more in the next season and a half. In his final year in New York, Basham decided to have a career year starting nine games for the Jets and recording career highs in sacks (3.5), tackles for loss (5.0), and quarterback hits (13).

He capitalized on that performance, signing a two-year, $5.5MM contract to join the Cowboys. Basham rewarded Dallas with a season much like his last in New York matching his sack total and racking up three tackles for loss and 11 quarterback hits. His second year with the team hit a bit of a snag, though. A thigh injury in the fourth quarter of the team’s season-opening loss to the Buccaneers landed Basham on injured reserve. He would eventually return to the active roster, after sitting out seven weeks, but would only play eight more snaps as a Cowboy before being released earlier this week.

The Titans could certainly use the depth in a season that currently shows them with fifteen players on IR, tops in the NFL. Basham likely wouldn’t start for Tennessee if signed to the team but he could certainly provide some strong depth behind starting defensive ends Jeffery Simmons and DeMarcus Walker.

Here are few other workout rumors from around the NFL, starting with a former AFC North quarterback looking for a new home:

  • Former Browns backup quarterback Joshua Dobbs worked out for the Broncos today, according to Aaron Wilson of KPRC2. The sixth-year quarterback out of Tennessee is looking to join the fourth NFL team of his career after being waived in order to make room for newly available Browns starting quarterback Deshaun Watson following Watson’s 11-game suspension. Also involved in the workout were wide receivers Javon McKinley, Malik Taylor, and Connor Wedington.
  • The Raiders also hosted a large workout today, according to Wilson, with the most notable names being former Baylor running back Abram Smith and former Arizona quarterback Khalil Tate. Smith had a breakout senior year for the Bears that saw him rush for 1,601 yards and 12 touchdowns last season. Smith originally signed as an undrafted free agent with the Saints, getting cut before the final roster deadlines. He’s auditioned for the Texans and Browns since then and was recently the No. 1 overall pick in the recent 2023 XFL Draft. Tate spent his rookie in 2020 attempting to convert from quarterback to wide receiver for the Eagles before eventually getting waived just prior to his sophomore season. He had offseason stints with two separate teams in the Canadian Football League this summer but did not appear in any games. Other participants in the workout were quarterback Nathan Rourke, wide receiver Jerreth Sterns, and defensive backs Daniel Isom and Nate Meadors.
  • Free agent wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. made the first in a tour of several visits today, according to Wilson. The visit with the Giants reportedly lasted two days involving a medical check early in the day and dinner with some players and coaches later on, according to Jordan Raanan of ESPN. His next stop is expected to be in Buffalo before eventually heading to Dallas. As we reported recently, it is not uncommon that Beckham didn’t actually work out for New York. His visits with the Bills and Cowboys are expected to follow a similar itinerary of medical examination and sales pitch.

Browns To Sign Josh Dobbs

After a pair of visits with other AFC teams, quarterback Josh Dobbs is landing in Cleveland. The Browns are signing him to a one-year deal (Twitter link via NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport).

[RELATED: Dobbs Visited Ravens, Patriots]

Dobbs was drafted in the fourth round by the Steelers in 2017. He made five appearances in Pittsburgh one year later, but was then traded to the Jaguars the following September. While he ended up back with the Steelers in 2020, he ultimately lost out to Mason Rudolph as the team’s backup to Ben Roethlisberger.

The 27-year-old garnered a notable amount of interest in free agency, working out with Baltimore and New England. The former only currently has two QBs on the roster, so a signing with the Ravens wouldn’t have come as much of a surprise. Instead, he will join a different Steelers’ AFC North rival.

In Cleveland, Dobbs will join a QB room which is – at least for the time being – rather crowded. The Browns have Deshaun Watson at the top of the depth chart, and added experienced depth by signing Jacoby Brissett to replace Case Keenum. The elephant in the room remains Baker Mayfield, whom the team has been widely expected to trade but has expressed a willingness to keep.

Regardless of how the rest of the Browns’ roster shakes out at the position, Dobbs will provide the team with another depth option amongst its signal-callers.

QB Josh Dobbs Visited Ravens, Patriots

Josh Dobbs is generating some interest around the league. The quarterback tried out for the Ravens yesterday, according to ESPN’s Field Yates (on Twitter). Meanwhile, Aaron Wilson of ProFootballNetwork.com tweets that Dobbs also had an audition with the Patriots.

Dobbs entered the NFL as a fourth-round pick out of Tennessee in 2017. He spent the first two-plus seasons of his career with the Steelers, and after spending most of the 2019 campaign in Jacksonville, he returned to Pittsburgh for 2020 and 2021.

Dobbs ultimately saw time in six games for the Steelers, completing 10 of his 17 pass attempts for 45 yards and one interception. He also added 31 rushing yards on six carries. After re-signing with the organization last offseason, the QB ended up spending the entire 2021 campaign on injured reserve.

The Ravens are currently rostering only two QBs in Lamar Jackson and Tyler Huntley, so Dobbs would provide some depth at the position. In New England, Mac Jones has a pair of backups in Brian Hoyer and Jarrett Stidham, so Dobbs would have more of an uphill battle to make the Patriots roster.