Inside The Vikings

Reports: Vikings Trading With Cardinals For QB Josh Dobbs

Dobbs gives the Vikings another quarterback option alongside Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens.

Will Ragatz

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The Vikings are trading with the Cardinals for quarterback Josh Dobbs, according to NFL Network's Tom Pelissero and Ian Rapaport. He has started all eight games for Arizona this season and gives Minnesota another QB option alongside Jaren Hall and Nick Mullens in the wake of Kirk Cousins' season-ending Achilles tear.

Per ESPN's Adam Schefter, the Vikings sent a sixth-round pick to the Cardinals for Dobbs and a seventh-rounder.

This is the second time Dobbs has been traded in the last three months. The Browns sent him to the Cardinals in August for a fifth-round pick, and he spent the first half of the year starting for Arizona with Kyler Murray on injured reserve. 

Dobbs went 1-7 as a starter for the Cardinals, but he generally kept the team competitive despite playing at a significant talent disadvantage most weeks on a rebuilding team. He completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,569 yards, eight touchdowns, and five interceptions, with another 258 yards and three scores as a rusher. All five of his picks have come in the last four games, including two against the Ravens on Sunday.

The Cardinals already appeared to be going with rookie Clayton Tune at quarterback this week, so Dobbs was no longer in their plans. Murray might also return soon.

Kevin O'Connell and the Vikings' coaching staff will now teach Dobbs their offense on the fly, something he just had to do in Arizona earlier this year. He'll likely need more time than just a few days to get acclimated, so Hall figures to get the first shot at earning the job in the post-Cousins world.

What Dobbs provides the Vikings is another option in case Hall falters and Mullens' back injury lingers. He's a dual-threat quarterback who has been solid as a scrambler this season but has struggled as a passer (55.3 PFF passing grade, 13 turnover-worthy plays). The good news for Dobbs, if he does end up starting in Minnesota, is that he'll be surrounded by Justin Jefferson (pending his return from IR), Jordan Addison, T.J. Hockenson, and an offensive line that has been playing at a very high level.

Dobbs, 28, was drafted by the Steelers in the fourth round of the 2017 draft after a four-year career at Tennessee. He's been a true journeyman in the NFL; the Vikings will be his seventh franchise in seven years, including multiple stints with the Steelers and Browns. The first two starts of his career came last season with the Titans.

At Tennessee, Dobbs majored in aerospace engineering and graduated with a 4.0.

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Will Ragatz
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