Tennessee Titans to start Joshua Dobbs vs. Cowboys on Thursday Night Football | Reports

The Tennessee Titans are expected to start quarterback Joshua Dobbs against the Dallas Cowboys on Thursday Night Football, according to multiple reports.

Dobbs, a former Tennessee Vols star, will start in place of Malik Willis, the Titans' quarterback selection in April's NFL draft. The Titans signed Dobbs off the Detroit Lions practice squad on Dec. 21 and activated him as a backup quarterback behind Willis.

This will be Dobbs' first career NFL start and seventh NFL appearance. He hasn't seen the field in an NFL game since 2020 and is 10-for-17 passing lifetime with no touchdowns and one interception.

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Ryan Tannehill, the Titans' regular starter, is out with an ankle injury that's been nagging him since October. He missed two games with the injury in the middle of the season, returned for five games then re-aggravated the injury against the Los Angeles Chargers on Dec. 18. Willis started all three of the games Tannehill missed, including last week's 19-14 loss to the Houston Texans. Willis has not thrown for 100 or more yards in any of his starts and has yet to throw a touchdown.

Whether Tannehill or Willis has been at quarterback this season, the Titans' offense has struggled, especially through the air. The Titans rank No. 30 in the NFL in passing yards per game and sacks allowed per pass attempt and last in the league in first downs per game. Through 15 games, the Titans don't have a 500-yard receiver. Four of the five offensive linemen who started for the Titans in Week 1 will not be active Thursday night and running back Derrick Henry is doubtful to play with a hip injury.

Dobbs has bounced around the NFL since being drafted by the Pittsburgh Steelers in the fourth round in 2017. In 2019, the Steelers traded Dobbs to the Jacksonville Jaguars, who waived him in September 2020. Dobbs re-signed with the Steelers later that month and spent two more seasons in Pittsburgh before signing with the Cleveland Browns this offseason. Dobbs was waived by the Browns on Nov. 28 and signed to the Lions' practice squad on Dec. 5.

Dobbs played in 37 games in college at Tennessee, throwing for 7,138 yards and 53 touchdowns. He ranks third in Vols history in total offense responsible for and second behind Peyton Manning in touchdowns responsible for. Dobbs will become the first player to start at quarterback for the Vols and the Titans since the franchise moved to Nashville in 1999.

The Titans have lost five games in a row. They need a win in Week 18 against the Jaguars to win the AFC South and make the postseason for the fourth straight season.

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

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Titans to start Joshua Dobbs vs. Cowboys on Thursday Night Football