Patriots Backup QB Making Most of Limited Opportunities

When the New England Patriots signed Joshua Dobbs in March, the idea scenario would have the free agent be a valuable mentor for young quarterback Drake Maye. On paper, the best-case scenario wouldn’t involve Dobbs on the field, unless it’s in mop up duty in a blowout win. In the team’s victory against the Tennessee Titans in Week 7, Dobbs was thrust into action after Maye was evaluated for a concussion.

On his lone passing attempt, Dobbs made an immediate impact, avoiding numerous tackles in the backfield before firing a strike to DeMario Douglas across his body for a first down. That conversion, along with how he’s handled himself in the facility, has won over his head coach.

“I've enjoyed being around him,” Mike Vrabel said this week. “He's a professional, he understands, I think he's good for the quarterback, good for Drake (Maye), good for Tommy (DeVito), and he's prepared. As much as we've talked about those practices on Thursday or our red zone on Friday, that those are competitive reps for everybody, I think that those have been great reps for Josh and Tommy to get during the season.”

Maye agrees, saying this week that having Dobbs complete that play on third down was electric — even though he could only hear it from inside the blue medical tent.

"He Made The Play Of The Day"

“Credit to Dobbs,” Maye said. “He made the play of the day. He came in, evaded a sack, and threw a dime. It was good to see that. From the blue tent, I was looking through the top of the blue tent and saw it."

“I heard a reaction, a cheer,” Maye added. “What a catch. I saw it on the Jumbotron after. That was a sweet play.”

Aug 8, 2025; Foxborough, Massachusetts, USA; New England Patriots quarterback Joshua Dobbs (11) looks to pass against the Washington Commanders during the first half at Gillette Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images | Brian Fluharty-Imagn Images

Dobbs’ first year in New England comes just as Maye crescendos into one of the league’s top signal callers. That doesn’t mean that Dobbs is pouting on the sideline. Instead, Vrabel says their backup has only helped himself in how he conducts himself on the practice field.

“You just don't get a whole lot of reps, and so you have to use those as your preparation reps and your game reps to read it out,” Vrabel said. “That's why we're not highlighting somebody and saying, ‘Throw the ball here.’ Throw the ball to the guy that's open and play quarterback. We don't want to practice like that and say this is what they're going to do. We don't know what they're going to do. So, I think those reps that he has in practice really help him. And again, it's good to see that he was prepared last week to go in, execute and help us.”

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