The San Francisco 49ers are excited to have quarterback Josh Dobbs in the building, competing to back up starter Brock Purdy. Dobbs has had a varied NFL journey, starting his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers before moving on to the Tennessee Titans. Last season, he played for the Arizona Cardinals before being traded to the Minnesota Vikings.
According to Pro Football Reference, he completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,464 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions in 13 game appearances (12 starts) between the two teams. Additionally, he rushed for 421 yards and six touchdowns on 77 carries.
Dobbs seeks stability in his career and aims to prove to San Francisco that he can be a long-term asset within head coach Kyle Shanahan's offense. Quarterbacks coach Brian Griese spoke to reporters last week about what the 49ers see in Dobbs and what he brings to the team.
"Josh has played a lot of football, and he's been in some really unique situations in the last couple of years where he was put under duress, both physically and mentally," Griese said. "He was able to go out and to play at a level that was winning football for the organizations that he was playing for."
Dobbs has earned the respect of his teammates throughout his career and is eager to return to the NFC West, demonstrating to the 49ers' coaches that he can handle the mental rigors of playing the quarterback position.
Griese continued, "And so that kind of piques your interest, to know that there's a guy like that that can handle it mentally, that physically, can do it, can play the position, and that is able to garner support quickly from a locker room and gain that respect and go win games in a short amount of time like that. So, a veteran guy that we know can play and has come in and fit in well."
Speaking to ESPN's Adam Schefter in April, Dobbs praised Purdy, sharing his admiration for how quickly the young quarterback has found success.
"At the end of the day, he wins football games, and he plays efficient football," Dobbs said. "That's all you can ask for. So that's what I'm most excited about, just being able to obviously provide my perspective on what I've learned throughout the league and be able to assume whatever role that looks like this upcoming year.
"But to be around that and that coaching and that type of player and that type of room and that consistency, I think it'd be really good for me, and I'm excited to see what I'll be able to add and help the team with for this upcoming year."
