TRADE: Vikings Make Their Move at QB
Josh Frey
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Following Kirk Cousins’ Achilles tear which ended his season, the question on everyone’s mind regarded the starting QB position.
With Nick Mullens remaining on IR until at least Week 10, rookie Jaren Hall was the only healthy QB on the 53-man roster.
Ahead of the trade deadline, though, the Minnesota Vikings have made a move that at least brings some extra depth to the QB room. Hours before the deadline arrived, they swung a deal with the Arizona Cardinals to bring in Joshua Dobbs.
Vikings Make Their Move at QB
Tom Pelissero of NFL Network was the first to report the trade, tweeting, “Trade! The #Cardinals are sending QB Josh Dobbs to the #Vikings, sources tell me and @RapSheet. So after losing Kirk Cousins to a torn Achilles, Minnesota brings in Dobbs, who started the first eight games for Arizona. Options in the QB room alongside rookie Jaren Hall.”
Dobbs has been the starter in Arizona for the first eight weeks of the season, but yesterday, it was reported that either Kyler Murray or rookie Clayton Tune would go this weekend. This indicated that Dobbs could be on the trade market, and now, the deal is done.
The compensation for the trade was reported by Josina Anderson, and it seems that the Cardinals and Vikings will swap 6th or 7th round picks to complete the deal.
Over his eight starts in Arizona, Dobbs recorded 1569 passing yards for 8 TDs and 5 INTs. He also has sneaky athletic ability and totaled 258 rushing yards and 3 rushing TDs for the Cardinals, averaging 5.5 yards per carry.
Arizona may have gotten off to a 1-7 start to the year, but this is more on their lack of talent on the defensive side than Dobbs and the offense. The Cardinals have allowed 26.6 points per game this season, the sixth-most in the NFL.
With the talent across Minnesota’s offense, Dobbs has an opportunity to thrive in Kevin O’Connell’s system. The group has plenty of pass catchers like Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and K.J. Osborn while Justin Jefferson is eligible to return from IR in Week 10.
At 4-4, the Vikings are right in the mix to make the playoffs out of the NFC this year. This move suggests that Minnesota’s front office fully believes that this is a possibility.
As for Week 9 against the Falcons, it would still be surprising to see Dobbs immediately turn around and start for the Vikings five days from now. Jaren Hall may get the start on Sunday, but if things do not go well, Minnesota has a very solid backup plan in place now.
Minnesota has two very important games in front of them as they travel to Atlanta in Week 9 and host New Orleans in Week 10. Both teams also sit at 4-4, so victories would greatly increase the Vikings’ chances of actually making the dance in January.
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.