The Vikings Have Traded For A New Quarterback Following Kirk Cousins Injury

On Monday, Minnesota Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell addressed the media in a press conference to discuss the Kirk Cousins diagnosis of a torn Achilles tendon and the next steps for Cousins on his road to recovery.

O'Connell also discussed - in veiled, generic terms - what is next for the team at quarterback. After a rough start to the season, the team has found themselves in playoff contention with a 4-4 record.

The team's defense is starting to gel under Brian Flores, Jordan Addison is starting to flash as a young star, and Justin Jefferson is poised to return from injured reserve soon.

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With all of those factors, the Vikings had to decide if they wanted to ride it out at quarterback with rookie Jaren Hall, Sean Mannion (on the practice squad) and soon-to-return from IR Nick Mullens; or if they wanted to pursue an external option as either a temporary solution or long-term prospect at the position.

With just a couple of hours left before the 2023 NFL Trade Deadline (3 pm central time on October 31), the Vikings have reportedly made a move.

Who did the Vikings trade for at quarterback?

In some news from NFL.com, the Vikings have reportedly traded for quarterback Josh Dobbs, who has been the starting quarterback for the Arizona Cardinals this season while Kyler Murray recovered from an injury suffered last season.

Murray recently came off IR after a season-ending ACL injury last season, and we learned yesterday that the Cardinals planned to start either Clayton Tune or Kyler Murray in their Week 9 game, moving away from Dobbs, who started the first 8 games of the season for Arizona.

Adam Schefter reports that the Vikings sent Arizona a 6th-round pick, while the Cardinals sent Minnesota a 7th-round pick and Dobbs. There is also apparently a condition attached that the 7th-round pick can turn into a 6th-round pick, though those conditions are not clear at this time.

Dobbs is in his fourth year in the NFL, getting limited gameplay for the Steelers in 2020 and 2021 before two game starts for the Titans in 2022. The Cardinals acquired him and made him the starter for the start of the 2023 season.

During his first 8 games of this season, Dobbs has thrown for 1,569 passing yards with 8 touchdowns and 5 interceptions with a QB rating of 81.2.

Dobbs also brings a bit of scrambling and rushing acumen with him, notching 258 yards and 3 touchdowns with his feet in games this season.

He is currently on a 1-year, $1.5 million deal, with free agency on the horizon after this season.

While Dobbs hasn't exactly lit up the stat lines with Arizona so far this year, he brings a level of experience that surpasses that of Jaren Hall and comes at a pretty low cost to the Vikings.

Who will start at quarterback following the trade?

Jaren Hall will get the start for the next game against the Falcons in Atlanta. From there, the team will assess what to do as they integrate Dobbs into their system and anticipate Nick Mullens to return from IR.

Did the Vikings make any other trade deadline moves?

As of the time of this article being written, the Vikings traded offensive lineman Ezra Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars, getting a 6th-round 2024 draft pick in return.