KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Former Tennessee quarterback Joshua Dobbs signed a deal with the Cleveland Browns last month.
He's excited about his new opportunity. This will be his third team in the NFL since he was drafted in 2017. He was drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers, had a short stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars, then returned to the Steelers and now plays for the Browns.
He signed a 1-year deal. with the team.
"I'm extremely excited, especially to be back in orange. It just feels right," he said, referring to his days with Tennessee.
The Browns have a former Vol as an owner in Jimmy Haslam, as well as former Vols players on the roster. Those are two things that make Dobbs feel right at home.
"t's good to see familiar faces wherever you go," the quarterback said. "When you commit to Tennessee, that is not a 4-year decision, it's a 40-year decision. As an 18 or 19-year-old, you don't really understand that. But once you graduate and once you see where Vols are around the country, and really across the world, it's always good to be in the room with VFLs."
Last season was a tough one for Dobbs, he said. He spent the entire season on injured reserve. However, it inspired him to do more charity work and get ready for this next chance as a pro.
"It was a blessing in disguise, per se. It definitely helped me prepare for this opportunity," Dobbs said. "So I'm excited to be back on the field, excited to attack the opportunity and compete at the quarterback position."
Dobbs said he wasn't worried another chance would come and now he looks to maximize his potential on the field.
"It's a great opportunity, a great organization and a great team," he said. "It's extremely talented, so I'm excited to be a part of it and continue to grow. I'll be excited when the season starts in the fall."
Dobbs was recently on campus and gave Tennessee football head coach Josh Heupel a visit.
He said he is grateful that Heupel, being so new, is so receptive to former Vols coming to the facilities. Dobbs said he allows him to work out around the team and they're building Vol for Life locker rooms.
Dobbs is also excited to see what the football team has in store next season after a year that built excitement for fans.
He said they had conversations about football and Dobbs offered his help for the future.
"You know, just picking his brain about some stuff I could steal and put in our playbook at Cleveland and asked him a couple of questions on that," Dobbs said. "Also, I just provided my support. Any way I can help, whether that's orienting guys on campus or recruiting the next big-time quarterback for the university, us VFLs are around to help."
