After Teddy Bridgewater’s surprise retirement and with rookie Luke Altmyer needing “a million more reps” putting his ready-to-play status at around year 2050, the Detroit Lions moved quickly to sign Josh Dobbs as their new backup QB.

Lions fans are likely familiar with Dobbs who has been in the NFL since 2018 and has played for many teams - including the division-rival Vikings in 2023. He might be most famous for his aerospace engineering degree which earned him the nickname “The Passtronaut.”

Dobbs is also well-known for being a public advocate for those with alopecia areata - an autoimmune disease that causes hair loss.

Josh Dobbs NFL quarterback meeting with Arizona Cardinals cheerleader with alopecia areata

Below is the medical report for Dobbs. For the rest of the free agent medical reports, visit Lions Free Agency 2026 in the navigation bar above.

Medical concern level ranges from 0 (no concern) to 10 (extreme).

(Ages in parentheses are at start of 2026 season and are factored into the concern level. Injury info and ages based on available public information and are unverified - subject to update. Games played data includes playoffs & courtesy of sports-reference.com.)

Josh Dobbs, QB (31)

Medical Concern Level: 2/10

Contract: 1-year, $1.425M with $475K guaranteed

2025: 4 games played
2024: 2 games
2023: 13 games
2022: 2 games
2021: Toe injury, to IR.
2020: 1 game
2018: 5 games
Since 3rd grade: Alopecia areata

Dobbs hasn’t played a whole lot in his NFL career. The benefit of minimal playing time is low exposure to injury. He had a toe injury a few years ago which can be trouble for a scrambling QB, but has stayed healthy since. There are no other major injury concerns.

Dobbs’ alopecia areata can be associated with autoimmune disorders such as lupus and certain thyroid diseases. He likely has regular monitoring for signs of these issues, and it’s unlikely to be a problem during his NFL career.

His age of 31 is a bit older than you’d like for a QB who uses his speed and athleticism outside of the pocket. For spot emergency appearances though, Dobbs should be just fine. Hopefully, Jared Goff stays healthy and keeps this Passtronaut grounded all season.

Jimmy Liao MD | Detroit Lions Morning Rounds

Detroit Lions New Backup QB: Josh Dobbs…