Josh Dobbs is the definition of an NFL journeyman quarterback. He signed with the San Francisco 49ers on March 19, his eighth team in what is his eighth NFL season. Few players, especially quarterbacks, can match the resume of Dobbs.
There is something different about this job though. After a season in which he was traded twice and started games for two teams, Dobbs wants some consistency and he believes he can find that with the Niners.
The new 49ers QB raved about Brock Purdy and the coaching staff and sounds eager to have a voice in the Niners' quarterback room.
“At the end of the day, he wins football games and he plays efficient football,” Dobbs said, via 49ersWebzone.com. “That’s all you can ask for. So that’s what I’m most excited about, just being able to obviously provide my perspective on what I’ve learned throughout the league and be able to assume whatever role that looks like this upcoming year. But to be around that and that coaching and that type of player and that type of room and that consistency, I think it’d be really good for me, and I’m excited to see what I’ll be able to add and help the team with for this upcoming year.”
Dobbs signed a one-year contract so his future in San Francisco isn’t exactly guaranteed, but he seems to believe he's the perfect fit for the Niners.
Josh Dobbs' 2023 season
Last season was maybe the craziest of Dobbs' NFL career. After spending 2022 with three different teams and starting two games for the Tennessee Titans, he signed with the Cleveland Browns in March 2023.
Dobbs was then traded to the Arizona Cardinals two weeks before the season began and went on to start eight games with the Cardinals. On Halloween he was shipped to the Minnesota Vikings, where he went from starter to third string in the span of weeks and did not see the field across the final four games of the season.
Overall in 2023, Dobbs started 12 games and appeared in 13, posting a 79.5 passer rating with 2,464 passing yards, 13 touchdowns and 10 interceptions. He also added six touchdowns on the ground and rushed for over 32 yards per game.
Dobbs has 14 starts since being selected by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft. He is among the most reliable backup QBs in the league, hence why one of the NFL's top franchises wanted to add him to the roster. The plan isn’t for Dobbs to play in 2024, but he gained valuable starting experience last season and could hold down the position if called upon.
Brock Purdy's next act
It's difficult to pinpoint how much influence backup quarterbacks have toward starting QBs. Who's to say if Brock Purdy plays better this season than he did last year it's because he has Josh Dobbs behind him instead of Sam Darnold?
Nontheless, Dobbs wants to be a voice that Purdy listens to. How often that occurs or how much Purdy retains from conversations with Dobbs is up to Purdy, but it probably wouldn’t hurt the Niners' chances of hoisting the Lombardi Trophy if the starting and backup QBs had a consistent and friendly relationship.
After his magical run with the Niners to the NFC championship in 2022 was halted by an elbow injury, Purdy had a breakout season in 2023. He started 16 games for the 49ers, tossing 31 touchdown passes to 11 interceptions while finishing fifth in passing yards. Purdy led the league in passer rating and garnered a fourth placed finish in NFL MVP voting.
The 49ers think there is another gear for Brock Purdy. Can Josh Dobbs help push him to that point? It will be a fascinating development to watch over the summer.
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