Does the addition of Mason Rudolph impact Josh Dobbs NFL career?
The Pittsburgh Steelers add another quarterback in the 2018 NFL Draft. Does the addition of Mason Rudolph impact former Vols quarterback Josh Dobbs?
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When former Tennessee football quarterback Josh Dobbs was drafted in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, the narrative became what a perfect situation for Dobbs. Ben Roethlisberger was in his mid-thirties and coming to the end of the peak of his career.
Now, I am not suggesting that Dobbs was going to make a play to become the starter. But, he was in an ideal situation learning from a two time Super Bowl champ and six-time Pro Bowler.
However, with the addition of former Oklahoma State quarterback Mason Rudolph, the conversation changes. Will the Steelers keep three quarterbacks on the roster? Is Dobbs one of those quarterbacks?
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The Pittsburgh Steelers selected Mason Rudolph with the twelfth pick in the third round of the 2018 NFL Draft. Rudolph is more of pocket passer with great size, and throughout his college career, he has shown signs of improvement as a passer.
Rudolph already has the advantage over Dobbs when it comes to the prototypical NFL quarterback. It also does not help Dobbs confidence that the Steelers drafted Rudolph a full round before they did Dobbs last season.
However, Dobbs can make the case that he already knows the offense and can be valuable off the field as much and even more than he could be on the field. Take Tyler Bray another former Vols quarterback for example. Bray has attempt one pass in his NFL career and is still finding himself on rosters.
The Chicago Bears brought signed him to a deal just to have his knowledge in the film room to help the starting quarterbacks understand the system. Quarterbacks can make a living by being valuable off the field, and Dobbs could be that player.
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That is not to say that Dobbs won’t get his shot one day and that is not to say that Dobbs won’t succeed either. He might and no one should be surprised if he does but with the addition of Rudolph, Dobbs might find himself on the outside looking in with the Steelers organization.