Joshua Dobbs and the quiet reshuffle in Foxborough: a backup job, a cap number, and a new QB2
On Monday in Foxborough, joshua dobbs was released by the New England Patriots, a transaction that reads like a simple depth-chart move until you look at what it changes: the team’s No. 2 quarterback spot, the economics of the room, and the way a season’s most fleeting moments can become a player’s lasting imprint.
What happened to Joshua Dobbs in New England?
The New England Patriots released quarterback Joshua Dobbs on Monday. Dobbs, 31, had served as the No. 2 quarterback behind Drake Maye in the 2025 season and appeared in four games, with most of his snaps coming in end-of-game situations.
Contract details help explain why a backup can become a roster domino. Dobbs was scheduled to earn a base salary of $3. 2 million in 2026 and carried a $4. 75 million salary cap charge. His deal included per-game roster bonuses of $25, 000 (up to $425, 000) and a $75, 000 workout bonus.
Why does the move elevate Tommy DeVito to QB2?
The release comes after the Patriots signed Tommy DeVito—previously the No. 3 quarterback—to a two-year deal with a base value of $4. 4 million after the team did not tender him as a restricted free agent. DeVito’s contract includes incentives that could increase its value to $7. 4 million.
With that contract in place, the Patriots now project to bump DeVito, on a cheaper deal, into the No. 2 role behind Maye. The shape of the quarterback room is not finished, either: a No. 3 quarterback is expected to be added later in the offseason, meaning the depth chart is still being built in layers rather than locked in place.
In a league where backup quarterback decisions can be both insurance and accounting, the Patriots’ change signals a preference for flexibility. The numbers do not tell the whole story of a player, but they often explain the timing of a decision.
What will Joshua Dobbs be remembered for in his Patriots stint?
A backup’s season is often measured in a handful of seconds: a warmup throw, a headset conversation, a sudden jog onto the field. For Joshua Dobbs, the moment that stood out came in a 31–13 win over the Tennessee Titans on Oct. 19, when Drake Maye left early in the third quarter to be evaluated for a concussion.
Dobbs entered and, on third-and-5, completed a 12-yard pass to receiver DeMario Douglas. Maye returned on the same drive, which ended in a touchdown that pushed the Patriots ahead 24–13 on the way to the win. It was a small sequence with an outsized meaning: the team kept its footing, the offense stayed on schedule, and a reserve quarterback did the one thing a staff asks in that situation—execute one play cleanly, then hand the controls back without drama.
Beyond that snapshot, Dobbs’ on-field time was limited. He appeared in four games last season, mostly to kneel on the ball at the end of victories. Yet those kneel-downs—football’s least glamorous snaps—are also a kind of trust exercise. They happen only when a game has been managed into safety, and a staff wants the last exchange to be routine.
Now, with joshua dobbs released and DeVito projected to rise to QB2, the Patriots enter the next phase of the offseason with a clear to-do list: find a third quarterback to complete the room. The transaction does not come with a press-conference flourish or a signature highlight package, but it reshapes the daily reality of practice reps, meeting-room hierarchy, and who stands one play away from the huddle.
Back in Foxborough, the depth chart is telling a familiar story in a new way: jobs at quarterback can hinge on a contract line, an offseason signature, and a single third-and-5 completion that lingers long after the scoreboard has gone dark—especially now that Joshua Dobbs’ time with the Patriots has ended.
