49ers’ Josh Dobbs discusses faith getting him through up-and-down career, life as backup quarterback

Josh Dobbs has had quite a roller coaster of an NFL career.

The 2017 fourth-rounder made his second career start in a win-or-go-home game for the Tennessee Titans in the 2022 season. Set to back up in Cleveland in 2023, he was traded to the Arizona Cardinals less than two weeks before that season started to be their starter in Kyler Murray’s absence. In the middle of that year, he was traded to the Minnesota Vikings and eventually found himself starting for them.

Entering his eighth season, he is now backing up Brock Purdy in San Francisco, and while it’s not his ultimate goal to ride behind a starter, he’s learned not to take this journey for granted.

“You never really embrace [being a backup]. You don’t wake up at 6 a.m. every day in the offseason and do three workouts a day in order to back up,” Dobbs admitted in a recent interview with Fox News Digital. “I’m aspiring to be that guy on the field that an organization and your teammates look to every Sunday to lead your team to victory. But you also understand there are also 32 individuals that get to have that role in the world. 

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Joshua Dobbs of the San Francisco 49ers warms up prior to the start of the game against the New Orleans Saints at Levi’s Stadium on August 18, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

“Being in the NFL and being one of 96 quarterbacks in the world to do what we do is a tremendous honor, and it’s rare air. And whatever role you have in your room, the best course of action is to embrace that role.”

Dobbs didn’t get the privilege of having many opportunities handed to him, but when he’s had them, he’s taken advantage, which is what he’s most proud of thus far. 

“For a guy in my position, it’s very easy to get drafted behind a Hall of Famer, you play behind him for five years, and you never get a serious opportunity to play on a Sunday. I’s easy for those guys to get complacent, not keep working, or really, quite frankly, quit on themselves …” Dobbs said. “But everything I’ve done has been to position myself with the opportunity to go out and play on Sundays. I’m proud of myself for being able to put myself in awkward situations that I don’t think a lot of people would be able to.”

“I love my career because it’s my story. Everyone has their own unique story, and it’s no point of relating my story to anyone else because no one’s walked through what I’ve had to go through, and I haven’t walked through what anyone else has had to go through to get to where they are. So, I’m proud of my story, I’m proud of my journey thus far, and I’m excited to see where it continues to take me.”

He also credits his faith for getting him through a tough career.

Joshua Dobbs of the San Francisco 49ers walks off the field after a preseason game against the Raiders at Allegiant Stadium on August 23, 2024, in Las Vegas. (Chris Unger/Getty Images)

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“You have to believe that every situation you’re put in, you’ve been prepared for by the Lord above. … Quite frankly, no one’s ever grown by being perfect. No one’s ever grown by not making mistakes or facing adversity. It’s been a really cool journey, a cool story to show the next generation of student-athletes and people that aspire to be in the NFL to take advantage of your opportunities. There’s no limit on what you can accomplish, so by doing that, I have to have faith in the Lord above that he’s putting me in situations I’m prepared for, I’m excited for, I can go out and excel in, and I can use my platform in order to inspire the next generation.”

Dobbs, Case Keenum and recently retired Colt McCoy have teamed up with Progressive for their new campaign, “The Backup,” where the quarterbacks aim to relate to the average human.

“Obviously, my goal isn’t to be a backup in the NFL forever. I aspire to start. But we also know in life, it’s good sometimes to have a backup. That’s the heartiness of this commercial,” Dobbs said. “We’re all athletes, and we’re not viewed like the real world and real-life issues that a lot of Americans have to go through. We need to make sure we have our own insurance plans and a lot of things we go through off the field.”

Dobbs said he is not “naive” to situations in the NFL, which is what led him to his current role (he also is pretty excited to be on a Super Bowl contender). However, although it’s unlikely he’ll see much time on the field, he says he can still come away with lots of success in 2024.

Joshua Dobbs of the San Francisco 49ers drops back to pass against the New Orleans Saints during the first half of a preseason game at Levi’s Stadium on August 18, 2024, in Santa Clara, California. (Thearon W. Henderson/Getty Images)

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“A successful season for me is if I’m taking advantage of every opportunity. In practice, if I had two passes, were they my best two plays? Am I impacting my teammates on a day-in and day-out basis? How I carry myself, how I prepare, how I interact from a football and life perspective and using my platform for good to inspire the next generation, that’s how I measure success. Yeah, it would be great to throw 100 touchdowns this season, but if I take care of those things, the opportunities I have on the field will take care of themselves.”

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