Josh Dobbs Explains Dynamic Inside Patriots QB Room

FOXBORO, MA. — Josh Dobbs was seven years old when Tom Brady won his first Super Bowl. Ben Wooldridge was two years old. Drake Maye wasn’t even born. That hasn’t stopped Josh McDaniels from showing the current iteration of New England Patriots quarterbacks film of the one that set the standard.

“Josh McDaniels is an endless well of knowledge, so he does a tremendous job of pulling up, obviously Tom film, film from his success,” Dobbs said. 

With the return of McDaniels into the offensive coordinator role, it’s the return of yet another tradition that seems yearly for Patriots fans. A new offense, a new scheme, a new playcaller. But Dobbs — who signed a two-year, $8 million contract with New England back in March — doesn’t view it like that. 

“Every morning, he comes in and is like ‘Do you love football?’” Dobbs said. “He comes in with the energy, he sets the tempo. His urgency to get it right is what I really enjoy. Obviously you can always have the excuse of (it’s the) first time in the offense, first time on the practice field. You’re still getting the understanding down, (but) his standard is to get it right the first time, to get it and to ask the right questions and execute at a high level each time.”

As of now, Dobbs is penciled in as the Patriots’ backup quarterback. It’s clearly Drake Maye’s offense and while the longtime veteran is aware of the dynamic he faces with what the team hopes is the future face of their franchise, he’s not shying away from the competition under center. 

It’s the same mindset he’s instilling in third-string Ben Wooldridge, an undrafted free agent from Louisiana who’s likely fighting for a place on the practice squad at this point in time. 

“Any quarterback out here in this league doesn’t really view themselves as a backup. You know, they view themselves as a person that can step in there, execute the offense and be one of 32 any given Sunday,” Dobbs said. “Having that mindset is what makes you a good football player.”

Dobbs bounced across the league the past two seasons. In 2023, he made himself comfortable in Arizona and Minnesota, completing 62.8% of his passes and finding the end zone 19 times. As a full-time backup with the 49ers a year ago, he played in two games and started one.

He’s not a newbie in the NFL. Neither is McDaniels and neither is quarterbacks coach Ashton Grant, who like Dobbs, is also in his first season with the Patriots. Despite the new faces, the ideas behind the offense have been a fun challenge for all. 

“It’s collaborative. Just guys coming together, learning the offense between me, Drake (Maye) and Ben (Wooldridge), it’s been great to be able to bounce ideas off of each other."

“We’re bouncing ideas off of each other,” Dobbs said. “Things that I’ve done in other places, things that Drake has done in college or last year. I was with Ashton Grant in Cleveland, and we’ve been able to bring stuff that we had success with in Cleveland as well. It’s been a collaborative effort. There’s a lot of experience across the coaching staff on the offensive side of the ball, so guys are adding their different inputs, nuances, twists on the offense.”

Through six training camp practices, Dobbs is 4-for-8 during 7s and 25-for-40 (with an interception) in 11s. It hasn’t been the brightest start for him, but it’s got three preseason games to build the staff’s confidence. After all, Matt Cassell led the Patriots to 11 wins in 2008 after an awful preseason.

He will likely get the boatload of the snaps during the first preseason game against the Commanders on Aug. 8. Most teams don’t play their starting quarterbacks too much in the summer, and from the film sessions inside the quarterbacks room, Dobbs sure knows why.

“(Maye’s) athletic. Our entire QB room is athletic and that’s why (this offense) fits us well,” Dobbs said. “We watched a couple of his tape from last year, like scrambles, making throws on the run and we all know the type of arm that he has.”