Tennessee Titans QB Joshua Dobbs wants to remain with team for next season

If he's given the opportunity, quarterback Joshua Dobbs wants his tenure with the Tennessee Titans to be more than a two-game thing.

"I love Tennessee," Dobbs said after the Titans' 20-16 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on Saturday night. "Shoot, I’ve spent a lot of time in Tennessee. I enjoy the offense. I feel comfortable in the offense. I know those decisions aren’t made by me. We’ll see how it shakes out this offseason. But if the opportunity is presented I would love to come back."

Dobbs signed with the Titans on Dec. 21 and wasted no time winning over his coaches and teammates, earning his first start just eight days later. Dobbs started the Titans' last two games, completing 58.8% of his passes for 411 yards with two touchdowns and two interceptions in a pair of losing efforts. The former Tennessee Vols standout hadn't started an NFL game in his six years in the league before signing with the Titans, serving stints as a backup with the Pittsburgh Steelers, Cleveland Browns, Detroit Lions and Jaguars.

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The Titans gave Dobbs his first real exposure to NFL action; he'd only thrown 17 passes in six mop-up duty appearances before he unseated rookie Malik Willis as the Titans starter down the stretch. Dobbs certainly played well enough to justify the six years as a backup. His coaches and teammates use words like decisive, poised, confident and intelligent to describe him. But he also had ball control issues, fumbling four times, including one that turned into the Jaguars' go-ahead touchdown that ended the Titans season. And he admitted he didn't have enough reps to develop a strong rhythm with his receivers, which he said thinks led to his interception against the Jaguars.

Veteran Ryan Tannehill heads into an interesting offseason with the Titans. He played well when he was on the field, posting a 94.6 passer rating and ranking fifth among qualified passers by averaging 7.8 yards per attempt. But he also missed five games with a recurring ankle injury that limited his mobility when he played through it and never found a No. 1 receiver in the absence of traded star A.J. Brown.

Tannehill's contract situation doesn't make things any easier for the veteran, who turns 35 in July. If the Titans release of trade him after June 1, they'll save $27 million against the salary cap, freeing up money to use in free agency or to sign younger players to extensions.

Beyond Tannehill, the Titans' main quarterback consideration this offseason will be Willis. The Titans used a third-round pick on the rookie last spring, but he never found his footing in three starts. He only completed 50.8% of his passes, never passed for more than 100 yards in a game, never threw a touchdown despite three interceptions and wasn't able to take advantage of his rushing ability as much as expected.

It would be a shock if the Titans got rid of Willis after one season because of three lackluster starts, but it'd be equally shocking if Willis went into next season as a starter given just how much he struggled and how willing the Titans were to give the ball to Dobbs in must-win games instead of someone who'd been on roster all season.

Which brings everything back to Dobbs. He proved he's good enough to play in the NFL as a backup and a spot starter. Give him more time in the Titans' system to jell with his teammates and he might be even better than that. But at the very least, he's a valuable asset as a cerebral and athletic second quarterback option for a team with question marks all over the room.

"It’s a tremendous journey," Dobbs said of his time with the Titans. "I’m proud of my effort. I’m proud of the team’s effort. I’m proud of how the guys fought, especially with a championship on the line. It sucks losing but it’s part of the game. We’ll rally."

Nick Suss is the Titans beat writer for The Tennessean. Contact Nick at nsuss@gannett.com. Follow Nick on Twitter @nicksuss.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: QB Joshua Dobbs wants back with Tennessee Titans for next season