Joshua Dobbs Is a Fan of One Vikings QB
Janik Eckardt
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In a fascinating offseason that appears to climax in the draft with the potential selection of a new franchise quarterback, the Minnesota Vikings have already had many QB moves. Kirk Cousins moved on after six seasons, signing with the Atlanta Falcons and the best offer on his table. Another departed passer is Joshua Dobbs, the face of a strange time in Vikings history.
Joshua Dobbs Is a Fan of One Vikings QB
When the Vikings needed a hero during the 2023 season following Cousins’ season-ending Achilles tear, they found one in Arizona. General manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah traded for placeholder Dobbs, who started in place of injured former first-overall pick Kyler Murray.
Dobbs was Minnesota’s starter four times and had a prominent role in another contest. His magic started in Atlanta when rookie Jaren Hall got hurt, and Dobbs was asked to run the offense just a few days after arriving from Arizona. Kevin O’Connell explained the plays on the fly to his new signal-caller, and Dobbs’ improvisation started Dobbs-mania.
The nickname Passtronaut was born, and he guided his team to a pair of unlikely victories. Unfortunately, his magic dwindled, and he ultimately got benched for Nick Mullens and never returned to the field in a purple jersey. Later in the season, Hall started another game. The experience was bad to watch as he was clearly unprepared to shine in the bright lights. Dobbs, however, talked about his time with his former teammate on The Adam Schefter Podcast:
I’ve got a lot of respect for Jaren and the way that he prepares too. I know he had an interesting shake-out at the end of the season, but I hope he gets another shot to go out there and play because the dude works his butt off and prepares like he’s a three-year vet.
Like that’s why I was impressed and it really helped me play well when I got there for the Atlanta game. Obviously, it was Jaren’s show, and he was starting, and obviously, he had the injury at the end of the first quarter, but I mean, he was running the show in practice and, so watching that, I was like, “Okay, this is what I gotta do.”
Hall is in a fascinating spot. The Vikings clearly want Sam Darnold to be the QB1 in the upcoming season, and in addition to that, they desire to acquire a new passer in April’s draft. If they did that, seeing the field again would be unlikely for Hall in Minnesota.
One of Mullens and Hall would be the odd man out and left without a roster spot.
Hall was expected to be the QB3 in Minnesota during his rookie campaign. His job was to support and learn from Cousins and Mullens while functioning as the emergency QB. It was never O’Connell’s intention to have him on the field.
The BYU rookie had a shaky preseason, but he looked sharp when he was suddenly the starting quarterback in Week 9. Unfortunately, he was knocked out after one quarter. In Week 17, his second starting experience, Hall was benched for Mullens at halftime following a horrible outing in which he didn’t display NFL qualities.
He completed 13 of 20 passes for 168 yards and one interception while failing to reach the endzone. The rushing numbers show two attempts for six yards.
Hall has always been praised for his maturity, and Dobbs’ comments fit that mold. The Vikings never expected him to be a long-term QB1 but rather a backup option. He could still turn into that caliber of player down the line.
Dobbs headed to San Francisco to be Brock Purdy’s backup in the upcoming season. Darnold, the previous backup, joined the Vikings.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and Classic rock is his music genre of choice. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
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