Sep 17, 2023; Glendale, Arizona, USA; Arizona Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs (9) warms up prior to facing the New York Giants at State Farm Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Joe Camporeale-USA TODAY Sports.
The Minnesota Vikings sent a 6th-Round pick to the Arizona Cardinals on Tuesday in exchange for veteran quarterback Joshua Dobbs and a 7th-Rounder.
Two days prior, the Vikings lost QB1 Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles suffered at Lambeau Field. Cousins won’t return in 2023 and is tentatively scheduled to hit free agency in March.
Vikings fans wondered, from the moment Cousins fell injured until Tuesday afternoon, if the franchise would acquire a new quarterback, and indeed, it did.
Rookie passer Jaren Hall will start this Sunday at the Atlanta Falcons, but after that, the new QB1’s identity remains mysterious. It could be Hall if the youngster produces a competent showing in Week 9. Dobbs may be ready and comfortable with the playbook, ready to start in Week 10 or 11. And Nick Mullens is scheduled to return from injured reserve in about a week.
The Vikings have options after Cousins’ grim 2023 fate.
Meanwhile, on Thursday, head coach Kevin O’Connell joined The Pat McAfee Show and was asked about the reasoning for the Dobbs trade. He didn’t hold back. “The things he was doing in Arizona, you know, against the San Franciscos of the world and Baltimores, and just different teams, you watched him go out and play quarterback. You saw the athleticism. I know he’s very smart and intelligent. We ask our quarterbacks to do a lot here,” O’Connell told McAfee, a former punter.
The Vikings wanted Dobbs because of his recent and battle-tested resume, as the Cardinals showcased the mobile quarterback for eight games before finishing 1-7 and ending the experiment.
O’Connell continued, “We wanted to make sure we were adding someone to the room depth-wise, whether he ends up playing or Jaren Hall continues to play, potentially Nick Mullens coming back off IR. We wanted to have options because, really, the table has been set by Kirk Cousins. The formula for our offense is there.”
Minnesota travels to Atlanta this weekend and is a 4.5-point underdog.
Dobbs threw for 1,569 passing yards, 11 touchdowns (8 passing | 3 rushing), and 5 interceptions in eight games for the Cardinals. The Vikings new quarterback is also mobile, accounting for 32.3 rushing yards per game in 2023. His teammate, Jaren Hall, seems to have one golden opportunity to retain the QB1 job versus the Falcons, but if Hall appears unprepared or wholly inefficient, Dobbs could see the field in no time.
Here’s where Dobbs ranks among all NFL QBs in 2023:
Overall, the Vikings wanted some QB insurance, an intelligent player, and one with game-readiness as early as now.
That man was Dobbs.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sal Spice. His Vikings obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band).
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.