The Minnesota Vikings needed a quarterback after losing Kirk Cousins in the midst of a resplendent comeback season due to a torn Achilles. The Arizona Cardinals had little use for Joshua Dobbs, a benched journeyman passer in the midst of a lost, rebuilding year.
Thus, the two made logical dance partners as the 2023 NFL trade deadline rapidly approached. On Tuesday, amidst the backdrop of trade chatter for stars across the league, Minnesota added a quarterback with starting experience to take the reins and help push a 4-4 team toward the postseason in a sloppy and wide-open NFC Wild Card race.
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
But will bringing in Dobbs, a player already traded once in 2023, make any actual difference for the Vikings’ playoff hopes?
Minnesota Vikings: C
Minnesota Vikings get: QB Joshua Dobbs, 2024 seventh round pick
Arizona Cardinals get: 2024 sixth round pick
Kirk Cousins hasn’t beaten the Dallas Cowboys, a potential playoff opponent for the Vikings, in any of his last three chances. Dobbs, on the other hand, upended Dak Prescott earlier this season.
Yes, the Dobbs experience was more kiddie-ride Tower of Terror than a roller coaster, as the longtime backup rose to medium heights before plummeting. He helped Arizona punch above its weight class in a competitive 1-2 start. In five losses since, however, the Cardinals have been outscored 156-79, with all but one of those five defeats coming by double digits.
In that stretch, Dobbs has averaged just 5.5 yards per pass and thrown six touchdowns against five interceptions. Head coach Jonathan Gannon opted to bench him before Week 9 for rookie fifth round pick Clayton Tune. This is the kind of move that only makes sense when you’re playing like the NFL’s 32nd-best starting quarterback.
Opposing defenses figured out how to limit his efficiency. While upgrading from Michael Wilson, Marquise Brown and Trey McBride to Jordan Addison, TJ Hockenson and a healthy-once-more Justin Jefferson will help, it’s not going to produce the kind of returns a 4-4 team needs to make a playoff push.
Still, with rookie Jaren Hall the only other active quarterback on the roster in Week 8, Minnesota needed a veteran presence on its depth chart. It found one better than practice-squader Sean Mannion. That’s a reasonable move, especially at the low cost of moving back ~30 spots late in next year’s draft.
Arizona Cardinals: C-
Arizona Cardinals get: 2024 sixth round pick
Minnesota Vikings get: QB Joshua Dobbs, 2024 seventh round pick
The Dobbs era was fun while it lasted, and we’ll always have that one weird, glorious win over the Cowboys. Arizona acquired Dobbs and a seventh round pick for a fifth-rounder, then dealt him along with a seventh round selection for a sixth-rounder. Was half a season of below-average quarterback play worth sliding back a round on Day 3?
Probably not, but the Cardinals are in the business of losing games in 2023 and pumping up that draft spot. Dobbs got it done and was fun to watch throughout roughly half his Glendale tenure. For that, we salute him.
