Much like the entirety of the Vikings fan base, when I saw the Kirk Cousins injury, I thought the season was over. Then, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah made a move and I have one thing to say — we back up.
With MVP caliber quarterback Kirk Cousins done for the season after tearing his achilles, it felt like Minnesota would be in quarterback purgatory and a season that was just getting turned around would go to waste. But Minnesota just made a move to try and avoid that fate by dealing for Cardinals starting quarterback Josh Dobbs. It’s reported that the Vikings and Cardinals did a pick swap of 6th and 7th rounders along with Dobbs getting shipped to Minnesota in this trade.
I love this move. While he did only get Arizona to a 1-7 record, he hasn’t played bad football. He’s passed for 1,569 yards, 8 touchdowns, and 5 interceptions while also rushing for 258 yards and 3 scores. What I think held Dobbs back in Arizona is the lack of weapons surrounding him. By coming to Minnesota, he inherits a receiving core of Justin Jefferson, Jordan Addison, K.J. Osborn, and T.J. Hockenson. Dobbs also gets a dual-wield backfield of Cam Akers and Alexander Mattison. The tools are in place for him to succeed.
It’s not official that Dobbs will be the starter just yet. Rookie Jaren Hall is still listed as the Vikings starter and has been with the team since the start of the year. I envision Hall starting this week and then Dobbs coming in the following week if Hall doesn’t play well.
Minnesota Deals Ezra Cleveland To Jacksonville
The Vikings front office didn’t stop making deals after acquiring Dobbs. They just recently sent 2020 second round guard Ezra Cleveland to the Jaguars. In exchange, Minnesota gets a 6th round draft pick. So far this season, Cleveland played 372 snaps with a PFF grade of 73.8% allowing 1 sack and committing 1 penalty. He saw his playtime decrease after the signing of Dalton Risner.
This move feels beneficial for both Jacksonville and Minnesota. The Jaguars get a plug and play interior offensive lineman while the Vikings stack draft collateral. I’d like to say he’d be missed, but with his play time dropping off, we won’t see a huge difference.