Josh Dobbs Goes to Bat for Young Vikings QB
Josh Frey
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This fall, the Minnesota Vikings saw their season derailed because of Kirk Cousins’ torn Achilles.
The Vikings were then left scrambling for a quarterback because, not only was Cousins on the shelf, but Nick Mullens had been on IR dealing with a back injury. As a result, Minnesota turned to Arizona to make a trade and brought in Josh Dobbs.
Dobbs went on to finish the year in Minnesota, achieved the Passtronaut nickname because of some stellar performances against the Atlanta Falcons and New Orleans Saints, and now, he is headed to San Francisco to join the reigning NFC champions. Before he does that though, the former Vikings QB had plenty of positives to say about one of his teammates in Minnesota: QB Jaren Hall.
Josh Dobbs Goes to Bat for Young Vikings QB
Dobbs 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, a fifth-round pick by the Vikings during the 2023 NFL Draft, is in a very interesting position with the team heading into 2024. The quarterback made two starts during his rookie season, but he didn’t finish the game in either of them.
Hall’s first start came against the Atlanta Falcons, and he started that game well, taking the Vikings down into the red zone during the second drive of the game. Unfortunately, a concussion would take him out of the game, which would ignite the Passtronaut era for Dobbs.
The rookie then sat behind Dobbs and Mullens for the next couple months before he got another chance to start in Week 17 against Minnesota’s hated rival: the Green Bay Packers. This game would go disastrously for the Vikings, and Hall was pulled at halftime after Minnesota fell into a 23-3 hole. In total, Hall appeared in three games last season and completed 65% of his passes for 168 yards and an interception.
It was a rocky and unusual rookie season for Hall, particularly being a fifth-round pick. Nobody went into the season expecting him to step foot onto the field, but not only did he do that, he had to start multiple times.
Now, the Vikings are widely expected to select another quarterback in the 2024 NFL Draft after Cousins signed with the Atlanta Falcons. Minnesota also signed Sam Darnold to a one-year, $10 million deal while Mullens is still under contract as well. Where exactly does that leave Hall heading into his second season?
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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Josh Frey is a Class of 2020 graduate of The College of Idaho and managing editor of PurplePTSD.com. When he’s not writing about the NFL, Josh enjoys running, gaming, or rooting for the Milwaukee Brewers and Bucks. Check out his Twitter account: @Freyed_Chicken.