The Minnesota Vikings traded for Arizona Cardinals quarterback Joshua Dobbs on Tuesday, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero.
In the wake of Kirk Cousins‘ season-ending Achilles tear, the Vikings' move to acquire Dobbs was one of the few available for them to maintain a viable starter at quarterback.
Helpful links
PFF's Mock Draft Simulator | 2024 NFL Draft Big Board |
NFL Trade Deadline Tracker | 2023 NFL Trade Candidates
Buy, Sell, Hold for all 32 NFL Teams
The Cardinals had already effectively benched Dobbs — who is coming off his worst game in the desert — and are paving the way for Kyler Murray to return to starting action, even if they take a look at rookie Clayton Tune first.
Dobbs arrived in Arizona just before the season began and was surprisingly effective for them this season, even if the only win the team managed under his leadership was an upset over Dallas.
The seventh-year pro has played more this season than in any other season of his career, and his 62.1 overall PFF grade ranks 28th out of 36 quarterbacks through Week 8.
Perhaps the biggest weapon Dobbs has effectively deployed has been his ability as a rusher. His PFF rushing grade ranks third among all quarterbacks, and only Jalen Hurts and Lamar Jackson have more rushing yards at the position. Ahead of Week 9, Dobbs has three rushing scores and 19 first downs on the ground.
Turnovers have been an issue for Dobbs, who has a turnover-worthy play rate of 4.0% and is fresh off recording three awful turnover-worthy plays last week against the Ravens. However, he kept the overmatched Cardinals in every game this season, even if they have rarely come out on top.
Cousins posted a turnover-worthy play rate of 2.3% before he went down, so the team is assuredly signing up for a higher rate of mistakes at the position, but they are getting a new element of quarterback mobility to help try to offset that downgrade.
In truth, the comparison for Minnesota isn’t between Cousins and Dobbs. It’s between Dobbs and the other options open to them, either in-house (fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall, Nick Mullens once he returns from IR, or Sean Mannion). Mullens is the only quarterback of the three with a resume that can compare to Dobbs', and he has looked far worse outside of the sheltered environment of the Kyle Shanahan offense.
Minnesota has climbed out of an early hole and now faces a stretch of relatively weak opponents. Acquiring Dobbs for what is essentially a late-round pick swap is a gamble well worth taking to try and keep their season alive.
© 2024 PFF - all rights reserved.