The Minnesota Vikings moved to 4-4 on the season with a win over the Packers on Sunday afternoon, but their hopes of making a run to turn their season around took a big hit when Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in the early fourth quarter.
Cousins hopped to the sidelines on one leg and was later carted to the locker room where the team discovered he had suffered a season-ending Achilles injury, thrusting rookie Jaren Hall into the starting job. Hall, who was playing for BYU a year ago and was a fifth round selection, came in and completed 3-of-4 passes for 23 yards as he was tasked with simply getting the Vikings to the end of the game. With the 4-4 Falcons on deck in a game that could have some importance for the NFC Wild Card race, the Vikings found themselves at a crossroads as the trade deadline approached this week.
There have been some calling for Minnesota to hit the reset button, but that’s much easier said than done, especially when you have a team capable of fighting for a playoff berth. As such, the Vikings figured to take a look at what quarterbacks were out there, and found one in Joshua Dobbs, who has been starting all year for Arizona before the surprising announcement this week it’d be either Clayton Tune or Kyler Murray taking over.
That appears to have been the preamble to making Dobbs available, and he will continue his tour of the NFL this season, as he was dealt from Cleveland to Arizona just before Week 1 and now heads to Minnesota to potentially continue starting for a team that has playoff aspirations. The Cardinals, meanwhile, will get a 6th for Dobbs and a 7th.
The #Vikings are trading for #AZCardinals QB Josh Dobbs, with plenty of starting experience, per me and @TomPelissero.
It helps make up for the loss of Kirk Cousins. And gives MIN a chance… pic.twitter.com/TUEnTemakr
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) October 31, 2023
Comp update: Cardinals traded Josh Dobbs and a 7th-round pick to the Vikings for a 6th-round pick, per source.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) October 31, 2023
Dobbs has been solid in Arizona this year, as the Cardinals have been competitive early in games but faded late. He’s completed 62.5 percent of his passes for 1,569 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions in eight starts and had the ups and downs one would expect from a career backup in his situation. He will give Minnesota a veteran option should they not be ready or willing to ride with hall, and in an NFC with only five teams ahead of them in the standings, the Vikings will likely make an effort at hanging in the playoff race with Dobbs.
