Titans starting former practice squad player at QB is unfair to NFL fans

Ten days ago, Josh Dobbs was on the Detroit Lions practice squad. On Thursday night against the playoff-bound Cowboys, he'll start for the Titans -- a move that's a slap in the face to fans who pay exorbitant prices to attend the game.

Per Tick Pick, tickets in the lower bowl of Tennessee's Nissan Stadium near midfield are going for $498 at minimum to as much as $1,318.

Tennessee (7-8) has lost five games in a row and is benching rookie QB Malik Willis to preserve him for next weekend's pivotal game at Jacksonville (7-8). Tennessee starter Ryan Tannehill is out for at least the regular season.

No matter what happens in Week 17, the winner of the Jacksonville-Tennessee game will win the AFC South and advance to the playoffs.

From a tactical standpoint, it makes sense why Tennessee head coach Mike Vrabel would get his house in order in a game against a non-conference opponent that won't impact the team's playoff hopes. But that is no consolation to the fans who shelled out big bucks to go to a game the team decided it doesn't care if it wins or not.

Per Nick Gray of The Tennessean, Vrabel hinted at the possibility of players not suiting for Thursday's game after the Titans' most recent loss on Christmas Eve against Houston (2-11-1).

"We've got some guys who have played a lot of football for us that are far less than 100 percent ... So we'll try to figure out who we have and who's available and then make some decisions," he said. (h/t The Tennessean)

Still, Vrabel waiting hours before kickoff to announce that the team is starting a QB who joined his practice squad recently shows a blatant disregard for fans.

The NFL and Amazon, which will televise the game, likely aren't enthused about the decision. 

For the league, it's never great for optics when a team decides a game isn't important enough to win. The NBA, for example, frowns when teams rest starters during the regular season.

As for Amazon, the Cowboys-Titans game could be another in a series of "Thursday Night Football" duds this season. In March 2021, "TNF" moved to Amazon's Prime Video in an 11-year, $1 billion deal. 

Who can forget this season's epic Colts-Broncos game on "TNF"? 

Now fans get another potential dud with a former practice squad QB starting. Those paying to watch in person can't be pleased.