Vikings acquire Cardinals QB Josh Dobbs after Kirk Cousins injury
The Minnesota Vikings have acquired quarterback Josh Dobbs from the Arizona Cardinals, the team announced Tuesday afternoon.
Besides Dobbs, the trade involves only draft picks. The Vikings are sending a 2024 sixth-round pick to the Cardinals, who are sending a 2024 seventh-round pick and Dobbs back to the Vikings.
This is a necessary move for the Vikings, who desperately need help at quarterback now that Kirk Cousins is out for the rest of the season with a torn Achilles. Cousins' backups are rookie Jaren Hall and veteran Nick Mullens, and while they're fine to start a single game here or there, neither one is ideal to start the next nine games.
That makes Dobbs, 28, the perfect acquisition for the Vikings right now. He's has been starting in place of the injured Kyler Murray since Week 1, by far the most games he's ever started in a season. (His previous high was two, a mark he set when he was with the Tennessee Titans in 2022.) In 2023, Dobbs has thrown for 1,569 yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions.
A career fill-in doesn't usually get to start an entire season's worth of games, but Dobbs is getting his shot. However, if he hadn't been traded, he wouldn't have started Week 9 for the Cardinals. Head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday that either Murray or Clayton Tune would start instead of Dobbs.
It's not known if Dobbs will be able to start for Minnesota on Sunday when they face the Atlanta Falcons. If he's not able to get up to speed in time, Hall would likely get the ball.
