San Francisco 49ers wide receiver Jauan Jennings had reason to share his excitement over the team signing quarterback Josh Dobbs on Monday.
Jennings caught a 43-yard “Hail Mary” touchdown pass from Dobbs at Tennessee in college amid a 34-31 win over Georgia in 2016. The 49ers wideout celebrated Dobbs’ signing with an Instagram story that highlighted the moment.
“‘Hail Mary’ King,” Jennings wrote with a crown emoji.
Jennings still talks about their big play to this day — as recently as 2023. Dobbs impressed the nation as the Minnesota Vikings quarterback after a trade with the Arizona Cardinals. Dobbs filled in for the injured Kirk Cousins for four starts before a late-season benching.
“I’m always behind Dobbs man, I ride with Dobbs, I like Dobbs,” Jennings told reporters in September.
“Great leader, he ran the offense well [at Tennessee]. Every game you could count on Dobbs. He’s going to punch one in the end zone with his legs. His biggest target was my dog Josh Malone. But when we did connect, we found ways to get into the end zone as well,” Jennings added.
While Dobbs likely won’t have to ever throw a “Hail Mary” as a backup quarterback, he will give depth to the 49ers quarterback room behind starter Brock Purdy. The 49ers lost Sam Darnold in free agency.
San Francisco also has Brandon Allen back this year, but the team needed a third quarterback. Dobbs can compete with Allen for the primary backup role, Dobbs has a little more experience at 14 starts versus Allen’s nine career starts.
Josh Dobbs Found His Opportunity After Rocky Start
A fourth-round draft pick in 2017 by the Pittsburgh Steelers, Dobbs has played in regular season games with four different teams in his young career. He took on his biggest starting role in 2023, however, after only two starts before last season.
Dobbs appeared in six games for the Steelers between 2018 and 2020. He then bounced around the league on practice squads for two years before he got a chance with the Tennessee Titans.
In two starts for the Titans, Dobbs completed 58.8% of his passes for 411 yards and two touchdowns versus two interceptions in 2022. It led to a trade with the Cardinals as the team needed a starter in place of the injured Kyler Murray.
Dobbs played for the Cardinals against the 49ers in October 2023, a 36-16 win for San Francisco. He completed 68.3% of his passes for 265 yards and two touchdowns plus 48 yards rushing on 12 carries.
Josh Dobbs Had Enormous Highs and Lows With Vikings
After he landed with the Vikings, he stepped up right away against the Atlanta Falcons in a 31-28 victory in November. In his first three games with the Vikings, he completed 65.6% of his passes for 647 yards and four touchdowns versus a pick as the team went 2-1.
Then things bottomed out when he threw four interceptions against the Chicago Bears on “Monday Night Football” on November 27. He got one more chance as he struggled to a tune of 10-23 passing for 63 yards in a 3-0 victory over the Las Vegas Raiders.
Which Dobbs the 49ers will see remains to be seen, but if Purdy stays healthy for 2024, Dobbs’ snaps will mostly be the preseason.
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