Joshua Dobbs has been something of a journeyman in his six years in the NFL so far, but he made headlines with his debut for the Minnesota Vikings against the Atlanta Falcons.
So who is Joshua Dobbs? DAZN takes a closer look.
His younger years
As a four-star high school recruit, Alpharetta Georgia native Dobbs was recruited by a number of big schools.
He selected the University of Tennessee, committing in 2013 after originally opting for Arizona State. He split time with Justin Worley in his freshman season in Tennessee, starting five games and going 1-4. He started six games in his second year but became the indisputed starter in years three and four, going 18-8 as the starter.
Dobbs was the South's quarterback at the Senior Bowl, playing well enough to attract attention of draft prognosticators who expected him to be picked early on day two.
Joining the Pros
Dobbs was drafted No. 135 overall, late in the fourth round, by the Pittsburgh Steelers. He was named as the third string QB behind undisputed starter Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones.
He made no appearances as a rookie, but played snaps in five games in his sophomore season. Dobbs earned a 51.0 quarterback rating (QBR), throwing one interception and completing six passes from 12 attempts.
Dobbs was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019 for a fifth round pick after Mason Rudolph won the back-up job in training camp. Dobbs did not play for the Jaguars and was waived in 2020.
He rejoined the Steelers and once again filled in for Roethlisberger on a handful of plays throughout the season before joining Cleveland in April, 2022.
His first NFL starts
In November, Dobbs was waived and was eventually pick up by the Titans in December, where he made his first NFL start against the Dallas Cowboys. Dobbs threw for 232 yards with one touchdown and one interception in a 27-13 defeat.
The following week Dobbs started again against his former team, the Jaguars. He threw for 179 yards, one touchdown and one interception as the Titans lost 20-16. The defeats saw Tennessee slip out of the running for a play-off spot.
Finally, a starting QB
In Arizona, Dobbs was the starting quarterback through the first eight games of the season. The Cardinals are a team low on talent and coming off a 4-13 season.
Dobbs threw eight touchdowns and five interceptions, racking up 1569 yards as the Cardinals lost all but one game under his guidance.
He also made plays with his legs, rushing for 258 yards and three touchdowns.
At the trade deadline, with Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins having suffered a season-ending injury, Dobbs was traded to Minnesota for a sixth round pick.
A historic debut
Just six days after being traded, Dobbs was thrown into the game against the Atlanta Falcons following an injury to starting quarterback Jaren Hall.
Dobbs inspired a comeback victory over the Falcons, throwing for 158 yards, and two touchdowns while rushing for 66 yards more and another score.
After the victory, Dobbs admitted that he had not thrown a single pass in training and did not know his teammates' names.
After his heroics against Atlanta, Dobbs was named the Minnesota's starting quarterback.