Who is Josh Dobbs: A look at the Patriots backup QB as Drake Maye deals with shoulder injury before Super Bowl

New England Patriots quarterback Drake Maye is currently preparing for the biggest game of his life, Super Bowl LX, but not everything is going as smooth as he probably would've liked. The starting QB and one of this year's MVP favorites showed up on the team's injury report just over a week before they face the Seattle Seahawks in the big game at Levi's Stadium in Santa Clara, California.

Maye was limited on Thursday with a shoulder injury and did not practice on Friday, with his coach Mike Vrabel saying No. 10 would've been out there if not for the illness.

Backup Josh Dobbs took first team reps in Maye's place on Friday. 

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Brad Crawford

Maye and Vrabel have both addressed the injury this week and the overarching messaging from both is at this time of the year, no one is at 100 percent, but the expectation is he will be ready to go on Sunday, February 8.

The 2024 No. 3 overall pick admitted he was dealing with "bumps and bruises" after the AFC Championship road win against the Denver Broncos and this week said "I feel good."

On Thursday, Vrabel was asked how much concern he has about Maye's health to which he responded, "not much."

The severity of the injury is not known, so there is no need to hit the panic button just yet, but way-too-soon overreactions are what football fans are best at. One concern Patriots Nation has is whether Maye's shoulder will be able to last all game. As a mobile quarterback and going up against an elite defense, their concerns are certainly legitimate.

If Maye does need to take a play, series or longer on the sideline, the next man up is Joshua Dobbs. So let's dive into his career and the path he took to get to New England.

The 31-year-old joined the league in 2017, when the Pittsburgh Steelers selected him in the fourth round at No. 135 overall. He remained in the Steel City until 2019 and since then has bounced around the league. 

He was with the Jacksonville Jaguars in 2019, was back with the Steelers from 2020 to 2021 and in 2022 went from the Cleveland Browns, to the Detroit Lions to the Tennessee Titans. He went back to the Browns in 2023, but only as a member of the practice squad. In 2023 he was also with the Arizona Cardinals and Minnesota Vikings, before joining the San Francisco 49ers in 2024.

He signed a two-year, $8 million contract with the Patriots in March of 2025, marking his ninth NFL team.

Dobbs has not started a game this season with his most recent start coming in 2024, a 47-24 loss against the Cardinals. In that game he had 29 completions, a 67.4 completion percentage, two touchdowns and two interceptions. He is 3-12 in starts in the NFL. 

In his nine year career he has 351 passes for 3,346 yards and a completion percentage of 62.8. He has 17 touchdowns, with 15 interceptions along with 515 rushing yards and 8 rushing touchdowns. 

The Patriots went from back-to-back 4-13 seasons to a Super Bowl bid thanks to a new head coach, bulking up their defense in the offseason, improving their offensive line and one of the biggest reasons was the arm of Drake Maye. He was fourth in the league in passing yards (4,394), was third in passing touchdowns (31), fourth in rushing yards (450) and fifth in rushing touchdowns (5).

While Maye's numbers have shrunk over the playoffs, that in part can be attributed to going up against top five defenses, playing in two bad weather games and inexperience in the postseason. Having Maye at as close to 100% is crucial for a New England team who are already coming in as 4.5-point underdogs.

The team's third string quarterback is Tommy DeVito, who went viral during his time with the New York Giants. 

Super Bowl LX will kickoff at 6:30 p.m. ET and halfway through the game Bad Bunny will take the stage for the halftime show.