Dobbs or Hall. Who You Got?
The Minnesota Vikings will roll into Week 10 with Josh Dobbs at QB1, as Jaren Hall remains in the NFL’s concussion protocol.
Dobbs engineered a Vikings victory in Week 9 after Hall, a rookie, looked decent for two drives.
Dobbs or Hall. Who You Got?
The QB1 job may be Dobbs’ to lose, but if he encounters a stinky game, a quarterback controversy would be inevitable. So, we asked VikingsTerritory writers which man should start for the rest of 2023. These are the responses.
Josh Frey:
Jaren Hall
At the end of the day, the Vikings have invested the most in Hall. It will be tough to take the ball out of Dobbs’ hands after his showing on Sunday, but Hall is the player that Minnesota drafted to groom and potentially turn into a starting QB of the future. Before his concussion, Hall had also played a very strong game against a tough Falcons defense. When he is good to go, the rookie should still get another opportunity to lead the team.
Wes Johnson:
Jaren Hall
While Dobbs’ performance was nothing short of spectacular, the ceiling is known as far as what to expect from him. Hall rightfully deserves his shot at the job, and the upcoming slate of games provides the perfect opportunity to see what he’s got. He is the unknown commodity. We don’t know what his ceiling can be. Heading into an offseason with potential question marks at quarterback, we need to know what we’ve got in the fifth-rounder. And, like Sunday, Dobbs will continue to learn and be ready to step in if needed.
Cole Smith:
Jaren Hall
Assuming all are healthy, the Vikings should start Jaren Hall the rest of the way. Dobbs led the team to a thrilling victory in Atlanta, but it’s hard to envision that as sustainable when O’Connell essentially walked him through every play in the huddle. O’Connell preaches being process-driven, so that’d lead me to believe that they would go back to Hall, who knows the offense and team better.
Dustin Baker:
Josh Dobbs
Dobbs has one fatal flaw — fumbles. It’s because of those that oodles of NFL teams have said no thanks to the man in the last two years.
Yet, in his 10 starts, Dobbs has never been surrounded by a bevy of playmakers like the Vikings will provide, nor has he ever existed alongside a hot defense like Brian Flores’.
Minnesota probably didn’t draft Hall as the future QB1 — 5th-Round QBs rarely pan out — and the rookie wasn’t even supposed to play in 2023. It was the Kirk Cousins and Nick Mullens show about five weeks ago. Hall won’t be damaged by life as the QB2 for the next couple of months.
It would be downright criminal to bench Dobbs at the moment. Mutiny-like.
Sean Borman:
Josh Dobbs
Dobbs earned more playing time after his performance in Atlanta. The veteran provides dual-threat capabilities along with some starting experience in the NFL. Jaren Hall should be next up in the event of an injury or stretches of poor play.
Janik Eckardt:
Josh Dobbs
The new guy, Dobbs, should be the starter going forward. After a couple of disastrous drives, he settled down and showed his ability to move the chains using his legs, and he also completed some key passes despite not knowing his teammates (like, at all) or the plays. Imagine what he can do after a few weeks under Kevin O’Connell’s tutelage.
Kyle Joudry:
Josh Dobbs
For Week 10, give me Dobbs. It’s hard not to rally around that dude, but it’s just so tough to fully hand things off, given how wild the season has been. Short term: Mr. Dobbs. Long-term: Wait and see.
Adam New:
Josh Dobbs
I’d still really like Jaren Hall to get a chance and was encouraged by his start in Atlanta, but Dobbs is now the man in possession of the starter’s job. With the Vikings in the thick of playoff contention, he should remain so unless his performance gives reason for him not to be.
Nate Powalie:
Josh Dobbs
Dobbs is someone who can quickly acclimate to almost any system. Despite the losing record in Arizona, he showed flashes of being a reliable QB. And that’s something Minnesota needs with Kirk Cousins out for the rest of the year.
Ted Schwerzler:
Josh Dobbs
Dobbs earned the shot to be the guy. It’s certainly unfortunate that Hall watched his opportunity come and go, but he was always thrust into the spot early as is and now can watch a bit longer.
Ali Siddiqui:
Josh Dobbs
Given Jaren Hall is in the concussion protocol, they should stick with Dobbs for now. It is tough to sit Dobbs down with the game he had, but they should still strongly consider putting Hall back in at some point. They drafted him, and they need to know if he can potentially be that guy.
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.
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