Steelers trade No. 3 quarterback Josh Dobbs to Jaguars for 5th-round pick
A week after Mason Rudolph was named backup quarterback, Josh Dobbs’ tenure with the Pittsburgh Steelers is over.
Dobbs was traded to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a fifth-round pick Monday afternoon, ending his tenure with the Steelers at 2 ½ years since he was drafted with a 2017 fourth-round pick. The Jaguars lost starting quarterback Nick Foles to a broken clavicle in their season opener.
Dobbs’ locker was cleaned out at UPMC Rooney Sports Complex by early afternoon during Monday’s media availability. Rudolph said Dobbs had come through to say goodbyes to teammates and coaches hours earlier.
“That’s the kind of guy he is, a first-class dude,” Rudolph said.
Dobbs was the No. 3 quarterback behind Ben Roethlisberger and Landry Jones as a rookie, but he surprised with a good preseason in 2018. That earned the former Tennessee QB the top backup job that season.
But the Steelers used a 2018 third-round pick on Rudolph, viewed by many as deserving a first-round grade. Rudolph outplayed Dobbs during the 2019 preseason, leaving Dobbs a gameday inactive for the Steelers’ regular-season opener Sunday.
One change to the #Steelers preseason depth chart exists at quarterback, where Mason Rudolph leapfrogged Joshua Dobbs and will be Ben Roethlisberger’s backup. https://t.co/ISoZHoJCT2
— Tribune-ReviewSports (@TribSports) September 4, 2019
Monday’s move further solidifies the confidence management has in Rudolph and his future standing in the organization. Being the top backup as opposed to the third-stringer, Rudolph is enjoying a dramatic increase in practice reps.
“Every single day is a great opportunity, especially for me being the (No. 2) in practice,” Rudolph said. “I’m attacking practicing and trying to get the most out of it and trying to help our team any way I can.”
Dobbs appeared in five regular-season games last season, completing 6 of his 12 pass attempts for 43 yards, an interception and no touchdowns. He had two meaningful appearances: completing a 22-yard pass during his only snap of his NFL debut at Baltimore in November and struggling for more than a quarter while subbing in for Roethlisberger during a December loss at Oakland.
After signing with the Jaguars as a free agent this past offseason, Foles suffered a broken clavicle in Jacksonville’s home loss to the Kansas City Chiefs on Sunday. That left rookie sixth-round pick Gardner Minshew atop the Jacksonville QB depth chart.
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Chris Adamski is a TribLive reporter who has covered primarily the Pittsburgh Steelers since 2014 following two seasons on the Penn State football beat. A Western Pennsylvania native, he joined the Trib in 2012 after spending a decade covering Pittsburgh sports for other outlets. He can be reached at cadamski@triblive.com.
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