Report: Cleveland Browns trade Josh Dobbs to Arizona Cardinals

Thursday has been a whirlwind of a day for Josh Dobbs. Earlier, he was named the Cleveland Browns backup quarterback, working behind Deshaun Watson. Just a few hours later, Dobbs is packing his bags and will reportedly be with a new team by the time he wakes up on Friday.

According to Tom Pelissero of the NFL Network, Cleveland is trading Dobbs to the Arizona Cardinals. Franchise quarterback Kyler Murray is still dealing with a torn ACL, meaning the starting job is still available in the desert.

“Trade! The #Browns are sending QB Josh Dobbs and a 2024 seventh-round pick to the #Cardinals for a 2024 fifth-round pick, per sources,” Pelissero said via Twitter. “Arizona hasn’t named a starting QB, and now Dobbs is in the mix.”

Pelissero added additional context to the trade for Arizona, explaining there is some familiarity within the Cardinals. Now, just over two weeks away from the regular season kicking off, Dobbs finds himself in a battle to become the starter. In Cleveland, without considering injuries, he would have remained the backup all season.

“Josh Dobbs was with #Cardinals OC Drew Petzing in Cleveland, so he knows the offense,” Pelissero said. “With Kyler Murray still recovering from a torn ACL, it’s now Dobbs competing with Colt McCoy and rookie Clayton Tune for the job.”

Dobbs entered the NFL ahead of the 2018 season, coming out of Tennessee. There has not been too much playing time available for him, sitting behind a few star quarterbacks. Practice squads have been a destination for him as well.

However, when injuries began to pile up in Nashville last season, Dobbs earned his opportunity to be the starter. The Titans rolled him out there against the Dallas Cowboys and Jacksonville Jaguars while Ryan Tannehill was out. Both games resulted in losses with Dobbs throwing for 411 yards, two touchdowns, and two interceptions.

As far as what’s occurring in Cleveland, they will turn to rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson according to ESPN’s Jake Trotter. He has a bit more of a similar playing style to Watson. If Watson were to go down for whatever reason, the Browns could continue to proceed with the same offense with Thompson-Robinson.

“Rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson, who has had a terrific training camp, is now Cleveland’s No. 2 QB behind Deshaun Watson,” Trotter said via Twitter. “Per source, Browns getting a 5th-rounder back (the 5th via Philly) in the Dobbs deal.”