Vikings trade for QB Joshua Dobbs after Kirk Cousins suffers torn Achilles
The Minnesota Vikings may have found a quarterback to help them get by in light of a season-altering setback.
The Arizona Cardinals are trading quarterback Joshua Dobbs to Minnesota, the teams announced. The Cardinals will also send a seventh-round pick to Minnesota in exchange for a sixth-round pick.
The trade, made just ahead of Tuesday's deadline, comes after Kirk Cousins suffered a torn Achilles in the Week 8 win against the Green Bay Packers, ending the 35-year-old season in his final year of his contract. Fifth-round pick Jaren Hall out of BYU came in relief for Cousins in Green Bay, while veteran backup Nick Mullens remains on injured reserve until at least Week 10. Dobbs, however, could make a push for time.
After the trade was announced, Minnesota head coach Kevin O'Connell said the team plans on Hall starting against the Atlanta Falcons on Sunday.
Dobbs will head to Minnesota after he lost the starting job in Arizona. After the team surpassed expectations during the first stretch of the season, which included a win over the Dallas Cowboys, Dobbs and the Cardinals had begun to spiral as they lost their last five games. Dobbs had thrown for 1,020 yards during the losing streak, and he threw five interceptions and six touchdowns as Arizona lost four of the games by double-digits.
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Cardinals head coach Jonathan Gannon said Monday rookie Clayton Tune or Kyler Murray would take over as the starter for this week's game against the Cleveland Browns. Gannon initially said Dobbs would remain the starter after Sunday's loss to the Baltimore Ravens, but he said he reversed course after reviewing more of the game.
In total, Dobbs has thrown for 1,569 passing yards with eight touchdowns and five interceptions this season.
Minnesota will hope the trade for Dobbs will help the team continue its winning ways as the Vikings had begun to turn their season around after a 1-4 start. Despite the star receiver Justin Jefferson landing on injured reserve, Minnesota has won three games in a row, including a big "Monday Night Football" victory over the San Francisco 49ers.
At 4-4, the Vikings also enter a stretch in the schedule where none of their next five opponents are above .500.
Later on Tuesday, the Vikings traded starting left guard Ezra Cleveland to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a sixth-round draft pick, according to multiple reports.