For a century, the Bears have made the development of a solid starting quarterback seem like rocket science.
It’s fitting, then, that a rocket science major has shown it’s possible to find good quarterback help on the fly.
Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs, who was an aerospace engineering major at Tennessee, has the perfect nickname for his rise to the moon: “The Passtronaut.” And he has needed every bit of his intelligence to digest no fewer than five NFL playbooks in the last year. When he takes the field against the Bears on Monday night, he’ll be playing for his fifth team in 364 days — not counting the second of two stints with the Browns.
“It’s incredible,” Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said. “I’ve only heard incredible things about the kind of guy he is and how brilliant he is. I don’t think I would be able to articulate it well enough, to be honest with you, how incredible that is for him to go and have success really everywhere he goes.”
The Browns cut Dobbs last Nov. 28. He signed with the Lions a week later, and the Titans three weeks after that. In March, he rejoined the Browns, but in August they traded him to the Cardinals, who needed a temporary starter. Right before the Oct. 31 trade deadline, the Cardinals sent him to the Vikings, who had lost quarterback Kirk Cousins for the season.
Dobbs has started two games for the Titans, seven for the Cardinals and two for the Vikings. But it was a stint off the bench for the Vikes that stands out the most. Taking the place of Jaren Hall, who was injured five days after Dobbs arrived, Dobbs taught his linemen his snap cadence on the sideline before being hustled into a game against the Falcons. With coach Kevin O’Connell explaining plays in his earpiece before every snap, Dobbs rallied the Vikings to a three-point victory.
“Isn’t it something?” remarked Bears cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke, who coached against Dobbs when he played at Tennessee. “And what he has been able to do for their team right now is really remarkable. You have to give the guy a lot of credit. And you have to give their coaches a lot of credit for getting him ready. He’s just that type of guy.”
Learning three offenses in one season is an accomplishment in itself, but Dobbs also has been solid in running them, ranking 20th in passing yards, 21st in passer rating and second among quarterbacks in rushing yards. His mobility presents a different challenge for the Bears’ defense, which faced the slow-of-foot Cousins when the teams met Oct. 15.
“You’ve seen him make some crazy runs,” said Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, who leads the NFL in tackles. “You’ve got a lot of respect for a guy who can just come in and kind of will his team to victory.
“We’ve seen [the Vikings] before and kind of have a good idea of what they like to do. But he definitely adds a different element.”
The Bears will have to take precautions. Their defensive linemen must stay true to their rush lanes to prevent Dobbs from leaking out. And coach Matt Eberflus will have to be cautious about how often he plays man defense. If cornerbacks, safeties and linebackers turn their backs to Dobbs, he might take off and run.
“You have to have people who are respon-sible for him as best you can — and still be able to rush the passer,” Hoke said. “That always complicates things.”
All eyes will be focused on how a Bears defense that frittered away the Lions game handles its next challenge.
“A quarterback that can extend plays — getting the job done throwing the ball, running the football, all types of ways — any time you have a guy back there that’s dual-threat like that, obviously it presents a lot of challenges,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said.
