Is Josh Dobbs the Perfect Addition for Minnesota?
When the Minnesota Vikings watched Kirk Cousins hop off the field following a tear of his Achilles tendon, the immediate fear for the season was felt. While optimism reigned initially for Jaren Hall, emotions have burst through the stratosphere as Josh Dobbs continues to perform.
Is Josh Dobbs the Perfect Addition for Minnesota?
Taken in the fourth round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Pittsburgh Steelers, what Dobbs was going to be coming out of Tennessee remained a relative uncertainty. He was never seen as the heir apparent for Mike Tomlin’s team and became a journeyman soon after.
Getting his first starts in Tennessee last season, he took over for a team that had lost its season. Entering the year with Cleveland before being traded to the Arizona Cardinals and working as their starter, Dobbs was viewed as a castoff more than anything else. When Cousins went down for Minnesota, he became a priority for what seemed like the first time in his career.
Entering the third week of his tenure with Minnesota, the appreciation has reached levels Dobbs only knows of through his career as an aerospace engineer. There are often highly celebrated rookies or high-profile signings, but it seems hard to remember when someone so unexpected became so popular in such a short amount of time.
After Dobbs orchestrated the road win against the Falcons, filling in for a concussed Hall, Minnesota immediately started printing his jerseys. The Cardinals hadn’t capitalized on their marketable quarterback at any point, simply waiting for the polarizing Call of Duty fan Kyler Murray to return. Rather than wait and see what level of truth there was to his game, Minnesota fully embraced Dobbs and has put his name on the backs of fans across Vikings Territory.
This story is still largely unwritten, and while the Vikings have a legitimate path forward to make the playoffs and challenge the Detroit Lions in the NFC North, they must continue to show up. Kevin O’Connell has helped his team battle through adversity on a weekly basis, and regardless of the winnable games ahead, the only thing that matters is the results when the clock hits zero.
Dobbs isn’t in line to win a Comeback Player of the Year award, but his play continuing to be at this level would place him among some serious consideration for praise as the team MVP. It will be interesting to see how his production expands as he gets to work with Justin Jefferson for the first time, and if the Vikings can get their running game going, the heights for the offense seem yet to be determined.
For years, Vikings fans have clamored for a more mobile quarterback to extend plays and do something special within the offense. This line has provided Cousins a chance to be extremely successful and has given Dobbs that same opportunity. While he may not have been the first option and came to Minnesota as a fill-in, Dobbs has done nothing short of sprinting away with the chance and establishing himself as a true starter in this league.
Fans can often be skeptical about the performance of an unexpected player, but seeing such buy-in for Dobbs so immediately has been fun. He is clearly an easy human being to root for, making everything so much more exciting.
Ted Schwerzler is a blogger from the Twin Cities that is focused on all things Minnesota Twins and Minnesota Vikings. He’s active on Twitter and writes weekly for Twins Daily. As a former college athlete and avid sports fan, covering our pro teams with a passion has always seemed like such a natural outlet.
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