CLEVELAND — This offseason, all eyes have been on the Cleveland Browns' quarterback position. But while most of the attention has been focused on the status of Deshaun Watson and the play of his backup, Jacoby Brissett, it's the team's third-stringer, Joshua Dobbs, who has emerged as one of the Browns' most pleasant surprises.
Through the first two games of the preseason, Dobbs has been more than impressive, completing 24 of his 33 pass attempts for 249 yards and one touchdown, while adding 56 yards and a touchdown on five rush attempts. With Saturday marking Cleveland's 2022 preseason finale vs. the Chicago Bears, here are three things to know about Dobbs, who has seemingly secured a spot on the Browns' final 53-man roster.
Vol For Life
A native of Alpharetta, Georgia, Dobbs ranked as the No. 10 quarterback in the 2013 class, according to 247Sports. After originally committing to Arizona State, the 4-star recruit flipped his commitment on National Signing Day, signing with Tennessee.
Arriving in Knoxville as a highly touted signal-caller, Dobbs appeared in five games, including four starts, during his freshman season. As a sophomore, he began the year as the backup to Justin Worley before taking over as the team's starter late in the season.
Dobbs enjoyed a breakout performance leading the Volunteers to a 45-42 comeback win over South Carolina in overtime and was named the MVP of the TaxSlayer Bowl in a win over Iowa. He proceeded to serve as Tennessee's starting quarterback for the final two seasons of his college career and set school records for rushing yards by a quarterback (2,160) and career rushing touchdowns by a quarterback (32).
In the final game of his college career, he was named the MVP of the Music City Bowl in a Volunteers win vs. Nebraska.
Steel City
The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Dobbs in the fourth round (135th overall) in the 2017 NFL Draft. He began his NFL career as the Steelers' third-string quarterback before becoming Ben Roethlisberger's primary backup in 2018, completing six of 12 pass attempts for 43 yards and an interception.
Following the first week of the 2019 season, Dobbs was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars after Nick Foles suffered a broken clavicle. Dobbs, however, wouldn't play a snap for the Jaguars and was claimed off of waivers by Pittsburgh after being waived ahead of the start of the 2020 season.
In his second stint with the Steelers, the 6-foot-3 Dobbs completed four of his five pass attempts for two yards and added 20 yards on two attempts on the ground, including a first down. He would miss the entirety of the 2021 season with a toe injury before signing a one-year deal with the Browns in the offseason.
Spaceman
It wasn't just on the field where Dobbs found success during his college career at Tennessee. In addition to starring on the field for the Volunteers, Dobbs earned a degree in aerospace engineering.
From 2020-21, he worked with the NASA Kennedy Space Flight Center as a part of the NFLPA's virtual Externship program, which provides NFL players with professional development experiences to prepare them for their post-football careers. In 2014, he ranked as one of NFL.com's smartest players in college football.