Chance to excel
Titans turn to Dobbs in must-win matchup
Joshua Dobbs has been part of a playoff team multiple times in his six-year pro career.
Now the journeyman quarterback has the opportunity of a lifetime with his fifth NFL team overall and third this season.
The former University of Tennessee star has a chance to lead the Tennessee Titans into the postseason with a victory Saturday night in Jacksonville in just his second NFL start. Not bad for someone signed off the Detroit Lions’ practice squad on Dec. 21.
No pressure at all, right? “I know it is a big game,” said Dobbs, the full-time starter for the Volunteers his final two college seasons. “I haven’t been here the entire year, but any time you have a chance to go to the playoffs, it is a tremendous opportunity. I’m excited for it.”
The fourth-round pick by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017 was on their playoff teams as a rookie and again in 2020 (he was on injured reserve when the 2021 Steelers advanced to the postseason). With the Titans, the former Vol who has a degree in aerospace engineering and has done internships with NASA through the NFL Players Association, has been just as busy learning his new teammates’ names as he has the Titans’ playbook and game plan.
The 6-foot-3, 216-pounder will be making the eighth appearance of his NFL career when the Titans (7-9) face the Jaguars (8-8) at 8:15 p.m. Saturday in a must-win matchup that will be televised on ABC and ESPN.
Dobbs doesn’t see the game as a personal validation of his pro career, spent largely as a backup, that has taken him from Pittsburgh to Jacksonville in 2019, back to Pittsburgh for 2020 and 2021, and stints this season in Cleveland, Detroit — briefly — and now the Volunteer State.
This has just been his journey, and at his current locale he has the chance to lead the Titans to a third straight division title, something this franchise hasn’t accomplished since the first three years of its existence in the original AFL as the Houston Oilers. In addition to a third consecutive AFC South championship, the Titans are seeking their fourth straight playoff berth.
“You just have to live in your world, maximize your journey, the opportunities that come, and take advantage of them,” Dobbs said. “I’m excited for this one this weekend.”
The Titans chose to start Dobbs over rookie Malik Willis, who is 1-2 as a starter and scored his lone touchdown on the ground in his most recent start, a Dec. 24 loss to the Houston Texans in the 16th week of the season. Dobbs was the starter in Week 17, when the Dallas Cowboys won 27-13 last Thursday in Nashville to extend the Titans’ losing streak to six games, their worst skid since the 2015 season.
However, Dobbs threw for more yards by halftime against the Cowboys than Willis, a third-round draft pick out of Liberty, had managed in any of his starts. Dobbs finished with 232 passing yards on 20 completions of 39 attempts with a touchdown and an interception.
Titans coach Mike Vrabel said Dobbs quickly adjusted despite playing with teammates whose first names he didn’t know, and he isn’t worried about the 27-year-old quarterback having been around the team for just a couple of weeks. Vrabel said Dobbs has a calming presence and confidence, both of which are vital at the game’s most important position.
“Joshua is going to be very well prepared and understands that we will have to go into a great environment on Saturday night …,” said Vrabel, who took over the Titans in 2018 and has never had a losing season. “He understands that. He has played quarterback. He has played in front of big crowds. He has played in big games.”
The Jaguars have won five of their past six games and four in a row, a streak that started with their 36-22 victory at Tennessee on Dec. 11. As of Wednesday afternoon, FanDuel Sportsbook listed Jacksonville as a six-point favorite for this week’s game.
One big advantage Dobbs will have compared to his first start is the return of two-time NFL rushing champ Derrick Henry to the playing field. The Titans scratched Henry against Dallas — a game with no effect on Tennessee’s postseason hope — despite the 6-foot-3, 247-pound running back being the league’s second-leading rusher for the current season at the time.
Henry is currently third with 1,429 rushing yards, and his 13 touchdown runs are tied for second. Dobbs, who never beat Henry and Southeastern Conference rival Alabama in college, thinks it will be a lot of fun being in the same backfield with the 2015 Heisman Trophy winner.
“I watched Derrick play a lot of football in college across the sideline from him, since being in the (National Football) League across the sideline from him,” Dobbs said. “So he’s a dynamic back, as we all know. I’m excited to hand the ball off to him and watch it from a field perspective, what he’s able to do.”