Cardinals QB Joshua Dobbs expected to start in season opener against Commanders, per report

Less than two weeks after being traded to Arizona, Joshua Dobbs is expected to be the Cardinals‘ starting quarterback for the team’s season-opener against the Washington Commanders, according to NFL Media. 

The 28-year-old longtime backup was traded from Cleveland to Arizona on Aug. 24 in exchange for a 2024 seventh-round pick. Dobbs is expected to start in relief of Kyler Murray, who will begin the season on the Cardinals’ physically unable to perform list as he continues to recover from a torn ACL that was sustained last December. 

Dobbs was a 2018 fourth-round pick of the Pittsburgh Steelers following a decorated college career at Tennessee that included a 3-0 record in bowl games. Dobbs, who received his degree from Tennessee in Aerospace Engineering, has had multiple externships at NASA during his time in the NFL. 

While he’s a legitimate rocket scientist, Dobbs’ NFL career has yet to take off when it comes to getting extended playing time. He attempted 17 passes during his first five NFL seasons before he received his first two career regular season starts last season for the Titans. The Titans lost both games while Dobbs completed a combined 58.8 percent of his passes with two touchdowns and two interceptions. Dobbs also ran for 44 yards on eight carries in those games. 

Dobbs has several notable skill players to work with in Arizona, including former 1,000-yard receiver Marquise Brown, former Steelers teammate and two-time Pro Bowl running back James Conner and three-time Pro Bowl tight end Zach Ertz, who recently praised his new starting quarterback. 

“He’s got a really good grasp of this offense,” Ertz said of Dobbs, via Yahoo Sports. “He has played it in the past, so him coming into the huddle and calling plays, calling the formations has been seamless so far.”