Vikings Reportedly Wanted Different QB before Landing Joshua Dobbs
Dustin Baker
|
The Minnesota Vikings have nine games remaining on the 2023 regular season schedule and will undertake a playoff quest with four quarterbacks available on their roster: Jaren Hall, Joshua Dobbs, Nick Mullens, and Sean Mannion.
Vikings Reportedly Wanted Different QB before Landing Joshua Dobbs
QB1 Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles tendon last weekend at Lambeau Field, prematurely ending his season and casting his future with the Vikings into doubt.
And to hedge the bet on quarterback depth following Cousins’ ailment, Minnesota swung a low-risk trade for Joshua Dobbs with the Arizona Cardinals. The Vikings gained Dobbs and a 7th-Round draft pick for a 6th-Rounder, which is NFL-speak for “free.”
But before the Dobbs deal Tuesday, the Vikings allegedly wanted the services of another veteran passer — Jacoby Brissett.
Per SI.com’s Albert Breer, a handful of clubs inquired about the Commanders passer, “The Commanders have taken calls on backup QB Jacoby Brissett, but the price has been prohibitive for other teams — they’ve asked for a Day 2 pick. We’ll see if the price comes down with Josh Dobbs going for a late-round pick swap.”
Shortly after, The Athletic’s Dianna Russini confirmed Minnesota was in the mix, “The Vikings looked into this yesterday before they traded for Dobbs.”
Last year, Brissett was one of the NFL’s top quarterbacks per a jumble of all credible metrics, but nobody cared because the Browns finished 7-10 and missed the postseason. His 82.6 PFF grade was particularly impressive, but again, few gave him props because he’s a career-long journeyman backup.
Brissett did not oust second-year passer Sam Howell, who takes more sacks than a grocery store, from the Commanders QB1 spot this summer, so many believe Brissett’s stock as a starter is dampened.
On the whole, Minnesota acquiring Dobbs for free is a much more sensible outcome than Brissett for a 3rd- or 4th-Rounder. The Vikings have implemented a “competitive rebuild” philosophy since general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah arrived in the Twin Cities 22 months ago, and shipping a mid-round draft pick to Washington for a backup quarterback wouldn’t quite adhere to the strategy.
So, Adofo-Mensah seized Dobbs from the going-nowhere Cardinals, essentially gratis.
Minnesota will turn to rookie passer Jaren Hall this weekend at the Atlanta Falcons, but if Hall, in theory, played like Josh Freeman in 2013, Dobbs would be on deck for Week 10 and beyond.
The Commanders did conduct a couple of trades before the deadline — pass rushers Chase Young (San Francisco 49ers) and Montez Sweat (Chicago Bears).
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.
You must be logged in to post a comment.