Was Mike Tomlin just playing coy in a show of gamesmanship? Or was Sunday’s game a trial run in deploying Josh Dobbs into a small portion of the Pittsburgh Steelers offensive gameplan as they embark on the playoffs?

“It is a possibility,” Tomlin said when asked that after the Steelers’ 24-22 defeat at Cleveland in their regular-season finale.

With Ben Roethlisberger sitting out for rest and to protect him from injury, the Steelers turned not only to backup Mason Rudolph but also, in part, to Dobbs. Playing one-snap snippets at various points throughout the game, Dobbs threw five passes and had runs of 13 and 7 yards.

Those carries ranked as the Steelers’ longest and as a tie for the third-longest runs of the day.

“We thought his mobility could be an X-factor,” Tomlin said. “It is a little-known trivia fact that Dobbs ran for (831 yards) his last (college season) at Tennessee, so running it is an asset to him.”

Highlighted by the New Orleans Saints’ usage of Taysom Hill in lieu of Drew Brees at times, it has become en vogue for teams to sub in a backup quarterback with a different skillset during games.

Dobbs’ passes Sunday weren’t as productive as his runs: he completed four of the five but netted just 2 yards. Two were shovel passes to Ray-Ray McCloud that netted minus-3 and 0 yards, and two others went to tight end Vance McDonald for 2 and 3 yards.

Sunday was Dobbs’ first action in a regular-season NFL game since 2018, when he went 6 for 12 over five games in relief of Roethlisberger. A fourth-round pick in 2017, Dobbs was beat out by Rudolph for the No. 2 QB job last season and subsequently traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars after Week 1.

Dobbs was brought back this fall after final camp cuts by the Jaguars, and he was a Sunday inactive for all 15 previous games this season.

Dobbs finished his college career with 7,138 passing yards and 2,160 rushing yards. He ran the 40-yard dash in 4.64 seconds at the NFL combine.

“I am appreciative of his efforts,” Tomlin said. “He had an opportunity to put his hand in the pile and be a positive contributor to our efforts.”

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