KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — NFL quarterback Josh Dobbs, a Tennessee fan favorite during his collegiate career on Rocky Top, is headed west to join the Arizona Cardinals.
The Cleveland Browns on Thursday traded Dobbs along with a 2024 7th-round draft pick to the Cardinals in exchange for a 2024 5th-round draft pick, according NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero.
Dobbs will now compete with Colt McCoy and rookie Clayton Tune to serve as Arizona’s starting quarterback in place of Kyler Murray, who continues to recover from a torn ACL.
The recently-named University of Tennessee Alumni Board of Directors president will reunite with some familiar faces in Arizona. Offensive Coordinator Drew Petzing was a QB coach for the Browns during Dobbs’ first stint in Cleveland. Cardinals General Manager Monti Ossenfort served as Tennessee Titans director of player personnel when Dobbs joined the team last year.
Excluding a brief stint on the Detroit Lions practice squad, this will be his sixth different NFL team since he was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017.
He made his first two career regular season NFL starts last year with Titans. Dobbs threw for a combined 411 yards with two touchdowns, two interceptions and 44 rushing yards in a pair of losses to conclude Tennessee’s season.
At Tennessee, he’s credited with helping rejuvenate the football program. He led the Vols to three consecutive bowl wins from 2014-2016; the school’s first bowl wins since 2007.
He set multiple school records, including career rushing yards by a QB and career rushing touchdowns by a QB. Dobbs was one of four quarterbacks in SEC history to have 50 career passing touchdowns and 25 career rushing touchdowns.