The Patriots have many position battles underway this offseason on both sides of the ball, but one that isn’t getting enough attention is the backup quarterback position.
With second-year quarterback Drake Maye poised to be the starter and face of the franchise, the Pats signed veteran Joshua Dobbs to a two-year deal to be Maye’s backup and mentor as he’s still learning the journey of what it is to be an NFL quarterback.
In May, after the NFL Draft, the Patriots signed Ben Wooldridge as an undrafted rookie free agent out of the University of Louisiana. He finished last season as the 2024 Sun Belt Offensive Player of the Year with 2,453 passing yards and threw 17 touchdowns on a 66.0 completion percentage. He led the conference with 8.4 yards per attempt and finished the season with 12.8 yards per completion.
After three years at Louisiana, Wooldridge finished with 4,622 passing yards with a 61.1 completion percentage and 37 passing touchdowns with only 12 interceptions. He also totaled 435 rushing yards and scored nine touchdowns during his three years at Louisiana.
It’s worth mentioning that Wooldridge opened the 2024 season with a statement performance after returning from a season-ending injury that sidelined him for the majority of the 2023 season after suffering an injury in the third week of the season.
He finished his first game back, completing 25-of-33 for 308 yards, three touchdowns, and a 178.1 passer rating, which would end up being his third-highest rating of the 2024 season.
Since joining the Patriots in the spring, Wooldridge has been the No. 3 quarterback on the depth chart, which is to be expected. It’s unknown if the Patriots will roster three quarterbacks this season. In Mike Vrabel’s six years as head coach of the Tennessee Titans, there have only been three years in which he carried three quarterbacks into the season.
In the team’s first preseason game against the Washington Commanders, Wooldridge played most of the second half, completing 9-of-12 for 132 yards and one touchdown. He looked composed under center, stepped up in the pocket with poise, and he commanded the team well while also reading the defense during pre-snap and calling out the linebackers.
UDFA QB Ben Wooldridge dominated in his opportunities in the #Patriots first preseason game against Washington:
— Justin Trombino (@Trombino20) August 11, 2025
9/12, 132 yards, 1 TD
QB2 👀
(🎥Patriots) pic.twitter.com/rJx8OxtFIv
QB Ben Wooldridge Makes His Case to Be Patriots QB2 Before 2025 Season Is Over
It’s only a small fraction, but Wooldridge played like and looked like the better quarterback between him and Dobbs. Although the veteran played before the rookie, he was also given the same number of pass attempts (12), but Dobbs didn’t look well while throwing the ball at all.
Dobbs finished 5-of-12 for 45 yards. He didn’t do a great job throwing the ball, and it showed when he targeted rookie wide receiver Kyle Williams down the field and the ball was underthrown. Dobbs had a better outing in the practice following the game, but it wasn’t what you want to see from the veteran backup who’s expected to step in and perform if Maye is struggling.
It’s still early, but I don't think the Patriots can let Wooldridge slip away. He should make the practice squad and continue developing. There’s a strong chance that he could outperform Dobbs as the preseason continues.
I believe there’s something to be said about Dobbs and Wooldridge having the same number of pass attempts in the game. It’s a similar situation to the kicker competition we’re seeing this offseason, where both Andres Borregales and John Parker Romo have been given the same opportunities in training camp.