Have Arizona Cardinals found hidden treasure in QB Josh Dobbs?

Josh Dobbs is a rocket scientist. He might be a miracle worker. From the front office to the football field, he is making the 2023 Cardinals look good.

Few thought that was possible. Few believed a team that lost J.J. Watt (retirement), DeAndre Hopkins (quitter) and Kyler Murray (injury) could be serious about winning football games, and most assumed the Cardinals were tanking the entire season for draft capital.

Dobbs has helped change the equation and the narrative. He is cheerful, grateful and extremely likable. For a professional athlete who interned at NASA and worked on the SpaceX launch, he is remarkably down to earth.

He has spent time with six different NFL franchises, two of which invited him back for a second stint. That says a lot about his vibe, his character and his good nature.

Dobbs is obviously very intelligent, and his September flex is something of a masterpiece. He signed with the Cardinals on Aug. 24. The team parted ways with Colt McCoy four days later. And on Sept. 10, without a training camp snap or the courtesy of a live rep against a real opponent, Dobbs took the field as an NFL starting quarterback in Week 1.

Only a handful in his profession could pull off such an audacious ask.

Dobbs wasn’t particularly good in that road loss to the Commanders. But he was in command and in control. He ran the huddle and was never flustered. He promised the improvement he knew would come after that first taste of action with a new crew of teammates, and he delivered. He’s been fantastic ever since.

Those who wish to mock our NFL franchise haven’t been hurting for content over the past 22 months. But Dobbs is the quintessential underdog, something of a journeyman since 2017, a kid who started every game he ever played at quarterback until he reached the NFL. There is a Kurt Warner-like, wholesome vibe to Dobbs, further proven by the video of him attempting and failing to buy his own replica jersey because it wasn’t available at the team store.

Dobbs has flirted with Valley football fans before. He was nearly a Sun Devil before changing his mind and attending the University of Tennessee. He chose to sign with the Browns over the Cardinals in the most recent offseason. Until the Cardinals forced the issue by trading for him.

The results have been a revelation. Dobbs might be hidden treasure, a quarterback who desperately needed the right franchise and opportunity. He’s making the new regime look good, reinforcing their credibility as talent evaluators. Word is, the Cardinals shocked the Browns with their very late and very generous trade offer for Dobbs, at a time when most teams have their rosters on lockdown.

The acquisition of Dobbs will also bring out the best in Kyler Murray. It is human nature to feel threatened when your replacement is excelling in your absence. And no matter what the outcome, Murray always knew that McCoy was more mentor than competitor.

That is no longer the case. And if Dobbs and the Cardinals somehow upset the 49ers this weekend in Northern California, all bets are off.

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