The Vikings are desperate. Their franchise quarterback Kirk Cousins has been ruled out for the season with an achilles injury, and now their backup quarterback Jaren Hall has gone down with a concussion about halfway through the second quarter. They’re going to have to exhaust their only option left; the “Passtronaut”, AKA Joshua Dobbs. Signed as an emergency backup for Hall less than five days ago, with little to no knowledge of the team playbook, Joshua Dobbs was still anything but prepared. He’s been in this position before, and is about to yet again show the world his talent. Josh ended the game with 158 yards passing and 66 yards rushing with 2 passing touchdowns and 1 rushing TD, including a game winning drive to help the Vikings beat the Falcons 31-28. This feat was improbable, some might even say impossible… But not for the Passtronaut. The only question left is, how did he get here?
Joshua Dobbs grew up in Alpharetta, GA., a city just outside of Atlanta. From middle school he was encouraged by his parents to pursue a large array of activities, including (but not limited to) football, basketball, baseball, saxophone, chess, and even the debate team. Not to mention, Josh was doing college level math by the time he was a junior in high school. He wanted to pursue aerospace engineering in college, which is just what he did at the University of Tennessee where he also played football. His time at Tennessee was filled with busy days, waking up at 6:30 either at practice, in class, or working on homework until the time he went to sleep.
“It was like you were dealing with a CEO of a multi-billion-dollar company,” said Brian Russell, the team’s academic adviser. “And I mean that seriously. The young man was one of the most special human beings I’ve ever had the opportunity to work with.”
Dobbs ended up playing five games his freshman season, and entered spring training in a battle for the starting quarterback role, while simultaneously working on his aerospace engineering internship at Pratt & Whitney. His uncanny work ethic paired with his talents on the field and in the classroom coined him the nickname ‘Passtronaut’.
Joshua’s play on the field got him drafted to the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017 after 4 years of playing for Tennessee. He was the seventh quarterback taken in the draft, with notable names like Patrick Mahomes and Deshaun Watson being taken before him. Josh had to wait for his time to shine, being benched behind veteran quarterback Ben Roethlisberger. After waiting for his time for five years, going on and off the Steelers practice squad, he was signed to a one year, one million dollar deal by the Cleveland Browns in 2022, but cut him later in the season. They later asked to sign him to their practice squad, but Josh decided that an offer from the Detroit Lions for their practice squad would better benefit him in his NFL career. Late in the ‘22-’23 season, the Tennessee Titans picked up Dobbs after multiple injuries to their QB’s, with Josh starting two games for them. Even though he posted mediocre stats through those two games, Joshua was told he was going to be ‘the guy’ for them the next year. Sadly a change in coaching staff changed that, with Josh going to Arizona in the off-season to start the season as the starter until Kyler Murray came back from injury. He started eight games for the Cardinals, showing out and started to build a legitimate name for himself outside of just being a journeyman. After those eight starts the Passtronaut was shipped off once again, this time to the team he’s currently playing for, the Minnesota Vikings. After arriving in Minnesota to quickly learn their playbook, which he was given less than three days to learn.
Going into the game against Atlanta, he was just expected to be the backup for rookie QB Jarren Hall, but that game plan quickly changed, with Jarren Hall sustaining a concussion in the second quarter. This gave Josh yet another opportunity to prove himself, in which he posted amazing stats. Throwing for 158 yards and two touchdowns with 66 yards rushing in less than three quarters, along with a game winning comeback drive to triumph over the Falcons in a 31-28 victory. The Passtonaut followed that performance a week later with another awe-inspiring performance against the Saints, throwing for 312 yards and two touchdowns, along with 44 yards on the ground in a 27-19 win at home.
Vikings Head Coach Kevin O’Connell had this to say about his performance: “Last week, I can’t emphasize enough what the circumstances were for him in our offense, but what I think was really special this week, even coming off of that performance, was his work, how he prepared. He was essentially living at the facility and going through his normal process while also allowing us to show him how we do things, how we try to enhance his ability to play fast while also giving him really good plays that he can be responsible for getting to one versus the other on the line.”
Who knows what’s in store for Joshua Dobbs, whether he’s dreaming about space or slinging the pigskin, it’s pretty safe to say he’ll prove himself a worthy asset.
UPDATE: After writing this, Josh’s career has taken yet another dark turn. After a two game losing streak and a poor start to his fifth start for the Vikings, Dobbs was benched mid-game against the Raiders, now back to serving as a backup QB for Minnesota. I hope Joshua has another comeback for another team, but as of now the hype for the Passtronaut has died just as fast as it came. I’m hoping the best for Dobbs and his NFL career, and will be paying close attention to what he does next.
