Former Tennessee quarterback Josh Dobbs has landed another NFL opportunity, this time with the Detroit Lions.
Dobbs, who spent last season as the backup quarterback for the New England Patriots, was let go after the NFL season ended. For a while, it wasn’t clear where he would surface next. On Sunday, that changed when he signed with Detroit, giving him yet another stop on a career that has already taken him through multiple franchises.
The move adds another team to Dobbs’ resume and puts him in a room with a Lions squad that could make a deep run this season. He has experience starting in the NFL with the Tennessee Titans and Arizona Cardinals, but that is not the role he is expected to fill in Detroit. Instead, he’ll be competing for a backup job behind Jared Goff, who has been viewed as a top-10 quarterback in the league.
That competition could play out in preseason, where Dobbs will have to earn his reps. He’s also up against Luke Altmyer, a rookie who finished his college career against Tennessee in last season’s Music City Bowl in Nashville.
Altmyer started for the Illinois Fighting Illini and helped lead them to a win over the Vols. It is still unclear whether Dobbs or Altmyer will be the primary backup, especially with Altmyer yet to see any NFL action.
Fans may get their first look at Dobbs on Thursday when the Lions face the Cincinnati Bengals in their first of three scheduled preseason games. Detroit is expected to use that matchup to start sorting out its rotation.
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