Joshua Dobbs

49ers To Sign QB Joshua Dobbs

Joshua Dobbs has found a new home. The free agent quarterback is signing with the 49ers, agent Mike McCartney announced.

According to NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, Dobbs will be signing a one-year deal that includes $2.25MM in guaranteed money. The quarterback can also earn $750K via per-game roster bonuses.

It’s been a busy 12 months for the seven-year veteran. After re-joining the Browns last offseason, he was traded to the Cardinals during the preseason to serve as a fill-in for Kyler Murray. After going 1-7 in his eight starts, Dobbs was dealt to the Vikings to replace the injured Kirk Cousins.

The 29-year-old had some ups and downs during his brief stint in Minnesota. He started his stint with two-straight wins, including a debut where he tossed two touchdowns and scored another on the ground. The Vikings lost his next two starts, including a Week 12 loss to the Bears where Dobbs tossed four interceptions. He was benched for Nick Mullens during the team’s Week 13 win over the Raiders and didn’t see the field again in 2023.

Dobbs ultimately finished the campaign having completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 2,464 yards, 13 touchdowns, and 10 interceptions. He added another 421 yards and six touchdowns on the ground. The former fourth-round pick only had two career starts heading into the 2023 season.

With Sam Darnold now in Minnesota, the 49ers have been in the market for some QB depth behind Brock Purdy. Dobbs will likely compete with Brandon Allen to be San Francisco’s QB2 to begin the 2024 campaign.

NFC West Rumors: Murray, Dobbs, Adams

The outcome for the Cardinals‘ 2023 season was pretty much already decided by the time the team finally was able to return quarterback Kyler Murray to the roster. Murray has now missed 18 games over the past three years, and even when he’s been available, Murray has a 5-10 record during the most recent two seasons.

Still, Cardinals offensive coordinator Drew Petzing has full confidence in Murray as a franchise quarterback in Arizona, according to Bob McManaman of the Arizona Republic. Petzing, who worked with Kirk Cousins during his tenure in Minnesota, points towards Murray’s first three years in the NFL, which resulted in an Offensive Rookie of the Year award and two Pro Bowl selections in the years following.

Petzing claims that, if it were up to him, he wouldn’t look at drafting a quarterback in the first round with one of their two Day 1 picks this April. Unfortunately for Petzing, it’s not necessarily up to him. With the recent major injury to Murray and his lack of success since the 2021 season, the rest of the team brass may deem it necessary to bring in a Day 1 passer to expand their options.

Here are a couple of other rumors coming out of the NFC West, starting with another note out of Phoenix:

  • When Arizona traded quarterback Joshua Dobbs to Minnesota along with a seventh-round pick, there were conditions in place that would allow for the Cardinals to get that pick back if Dobbs met certain milestones. Well, according to Howard Balzer of PHNX, despite Dobbs recently being benched in favor of Nick Mullens, the fact that Dobbs started four games for the Vikings will send Arizona’s seventh-round pick back to the Cardinals.
  • In a recent Q&A with Michael-Shawn Dugar of The Athletic, Dugar addressed the possibility of Seattle moving on from former All-Pro safety Jamal Adams after this season. While that seems like a real possibility with massive cap hits of $26.9MM and $27.9MM over the next two years and Adams’ recent drop in quality of play, it wouldn’t benefit the team as much as you might think. Releasing or trading Adams would result is a charge of $20.8MM in dead money for the Seahawks while only saving $6.08MM in cap space. Designating the move as a post-June 1 release would spread the dead money over the 2024 and 2025 seasons and increase the cap savings for 2024 to $16.5MM, but that still holds quite a heavy cost. Dugar believes that Adams may receive the benefit of the doubt, given the organization knows that he’s been limited with a knee injury. The high costs with that benefit of the doubt may be enough to keep Adams in green and navy for a couple more years.

Vikings To Start Nick Mullens In Week 15

DECEMBER 14: Dobbs will make a Zach Wilson-like drop on the Vikings’ depth chart. After consideration, O’Connell said Hall will be Mullens’ backup against the Bengals on Saturday. Dobbs will act as Minnesota’s emergency quarterback. Hall will reclaim the QB2 job he held near the season’s midpoint, when Mullens’ IR stay moved the BYU product behind Cousins.

A third-string role is not unusual for Dobbs, who worked in this capacity in Pittsburgh for a bit. But he spent much of last season as Jacoby Brissett‘s Browns backup, finishing the year as the Titans’ emergency starter. The latter run put Dobbs in line to back up Deshaun Watson this season. After both his 2023 trades, Dobbs ended up as a starter. After eight Cardinals starts and four with the Vikes, he will take a seat for the time being. Additionally, the Vikings ruled out starting running back Alexander Mattison due to an ankle sprain.

DECEMBER 12: The Vikings, who entered this season with one of the most durable quarterbacks in NFL history, will soon match the Browns for QB1 volume. Minnesota is set to start Nick Mullens in Week 15, according to NFL.com’s Tom Pelissero.

Mullens replaced Josh Dobbs in the Vikings’ 3-0 win over the Raiders. While Dobbs fared well when called upon shortly after the midseason trade, he has struggled in recent weeks. Mullens has been with the Vikings since the team added him just before the 2022 season.

Minnesota will go from Kirk Cousins to Jaren Hall to Dobbs to Mullens as its starting quarterbacks this season. The team turned to Dobbs initially due to a Hall concussion and Mullens residing on IR. The team activated the former 49ers UDFA from IR last month, and he will suddenly become a key factor in the NFC playoff race.

A Southern Miss product Kyle Shanahan once used as San Francisco’s primary starter after Jimmy Garoppolo‘s 2018 ACL tear, Mullens has 17 starts under his belt. He has not started a game since 2021, which came about due to both Baker Mayfield and Case Keenum residing in the COVID-19 protocol that December. Mullens, however, made eight starts in both the 2018 and ’20 seasons.

Just before waiving Kellen Mond in August 2022, the Vikings acquired Mullens from the Raiders to back up Cousins. The team re-signed the reserve arm to a two-year, $4MM deal this offseason. That AAV checked in south of many QB2 contracts this offseason, but the Vikings had not needed to worry about an injury to their starting quarterback since Sam Bradford went down in September 2017. Cousins had never missed a game due to injury in his career prior to the Achilles tear he suffered in October. With Mullens already on IR with a back injury, the team trotted out Hall. But it backstopped the fifth-round rookie with Dobbs, acquired from the Cardinals in a deadline-day pick-swap trade.

Following Dobbs’ four-INT showing in a Week 12 loss to the Bears, Kevin O’Connell said the team would revisit its QB hierarchy during the bye week. With Justin Jefferson coming back in Week 14, the Vikings chose to give Dobbs another chance. Amid the only 3-0 game played indoors in NFL history, O’Connell yanked Dobbs and called in Mullens, whose 9-for-13 showing helped the team escape Las Vegas with a game-winning field goal. The Vikings have not decided if Dobbs or Hall will be Mullens’ backup against the Bengals on Saturday, Kevin Seifert of ESPN.com notes.

Mullens, 28, holds a career 65.4% completion rate. Finishing with an impressive 8.3 yards per attempt as a rookie, Mullens carries a career 7.7 mark in that category. Being at the controls for George Kittle‘s then-record season for tight end receiving yards, Mullens has thrown 27 career touchdown passes compared to 23 interceptions. The Vikings will see how viable the sixth-year vet is outside of Shanahan’s system, though O’Connell’s is also derived from the Shanahans/Gary Kubiak family. The Vikes will Mullens the keys as they attempt to either hold onto wild-card real estate or eclipse the Lions in the NFC North.

Vikings To Start Josh Dobbs In Week 14

DECEMBER 6: As expected, Dobbs will once again get the call for Minnesota. Despite his four-interception performance in an ugly home loss to the Bears, the trade pickup will make a fourth start for the Vikings. Dobbs, who entered this season with two starts in six years, has started all but one of his teams’ games this season. This will be the recent Kyler Murray stopgap’s 12th 2023 start.

The back injury that sent Mullens to IR factored into the Vikes’ decision-making, per ESPN.com’s Kevin Seifert, who adds O’Connell wants the to develop Hall in an “orderly fashion.” The Vikes evidently do not want the rookie fifth-rounder yo-yoing between starter and backup.

DECEMBER 2: The Vikings have a quarterback decision to make during their bye week. While head coach Kevin O’Connell has left the door open to a change under center, it would not come as a surprise for Josh Dobbs to at least temporarily retain his starting role.

Dobbs was brought in via trade in response to Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear. The former was not expected to immediately see playing time, but a concussion suffered by rookie Jaren Hall forced Dobbs into action. He has held the No. 1 role since then due to his surprising level of play in his first two starts (which were victories), as well as the absence of Nick Mullens.

All three passers are now healthy, however, and Dobbs’ play has taken a turn for the worse over the past two contests. Turnovers played a major factor in the Vikings’ narrow losses to the Broncos and Bears, and the bye week would represent a logical time to make a switch. O’Connell said earlier this week an evaluation will be conducted during Minnesota’s time off to determine the team’s starter for at least Week 14.

Plenty is yet to be decided on that front, but Dianna Russini of the Athletic writes Dobbs is in position to get the nod as things currently stand (subscription required). A similar sentiment is expressed by Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune, who adds practice reps in the coming week will be crucial in making a final call. With Justin Jefferson set to return in Week 14, all three quarterbacks are in line to practice with the reigning Offensive Player of the Year to adapt to the offense with him in the lineup.

“We’re going to make sure that whoever’s playing quarterback is aware and understands the intent behind plays, where either Justin is the primary [receiver] or based upon coverage, based upon the defensive look, how to quickly and efficiently get to the right place to go with the football,” O’Connell said, via Goessling.

Sitting at 6-6, the Vikings are firmly within the NFC Wild-Card race despite Cousins being lost for the year. There will thus be plenty at stake for the stretch run and specifically for whichever passer lands the No. 1 job to close out the season. Dobbs may have the inside track for the time being, but the in-season competition set to take place in the coming days will be worth watching closely.

Vikings To Consider QB Change During Bye Week

Josh Dobbs endured his worst performance during his brief time with the Vikings during last night’s loss, and it remains to be seen if he will remain atop the quarterback depth chart after the team’s bye week. Head coach Kevin O’Connell acknowledged changes could be made ahead of Minnesota’s next game.

Dobbs was acquired at the trade deadline to provide depth in the wake of Kirk Cousins‘ Achilles tear. Fifth-round rookie Jaren Hall was initially set to take over starting duties, but his own injury thrust Dobbs into the lineup days after arriving with the team. The Vikings enjoyed early success with the latter in place, but he threw four interceptions in Week 12, bringing him to a total of eight turnovers in his four Minnesota appearances. Dobbs nearly received the hook yesterday, O’Connell said (via ESPN’s Kevin Seifert).

Hall has cleared concussion protocol, while Nick Mullens – initially in place as Cousins’ backup to start the season – has come off injured reserve. As a result, O’Connell will have multiple options to choose from during his evaluation of the QB situation over the team’s week off. Sitting at 6-6 on the year, the chances of a push for a wild-card spot need to be taken into account along with the upside of giving Hall developmental reps down the stretch.

“We’re going to take a look and really evaluate the inventory of plays we have of Josh,” O’Connell said, via Seifert. “We got healthy. We got Jaren back available to us, and then Nick Mullens is available as well.”

Dobbs and Mullens have similar levels of regular season experience and they have each bounced around to several teams in their respective careers. The latter has far more familiarity with O’Connell’s system, though, having been in Minnesota since 2022. On the other hand, Hall was drafted this past spring in the team’s only move to add a potential Cousins successor, so giving him an extended look could carry signficant importance for 2024 and beyond.

Cousins is set to hit free agency this offseason, though he and the team have expressed a desire to continue their relationship. While that situation will be a central one for the Vikings, their more immediate future under center is also uncertain as the stretch run looms.

Latest On Cardinals’ Quarterback Plan

Kyler Murray‘s long-awaited return will commence in Week 10. The Cardinals used up Murray’s three-week return-to-practice window, giving the former Pro Bowler effectively a midseason training camp to work in Drew Petzing‘s system. That run-up may be important to how the organization proceeds at quarterback in 2024.

Moving parts exist here, given the Cardinals’ 2024 draft placement at this season’s midpoint. But the Cardinals want to see how Murray functions in their new play-caller’s system before making a determination about the longer-term future, ESPN.com’s Dan Graziano notes.

The Cards are 1-8, but Petzing was able to coax some productive performances from Josh Dobbs, who had arrived just before the season via the Browns trade. Arizona ranks 27th in offensive DVOA, with Clayton Tune‘s disastrous outing in Cleveland making a notable impact on the team’s overall numbers. Exiting their 58-yard offensive showing against the Browns, the Cards rank 31st in passing. Petzing’s system — which came from Kevin Stefanski‘s Browns attack — is seen by some around the league as one that could boost Murray’s stock, The Athletic’s Jeff Howe adds (subscription required). That said, the dual-threat QB the Browns added — Deshaun Watson — has not exactly taken to it during his early run in Ohio.

Murray, 26, has received an extensive buildup period upon returning from his ACL tear. He is nearly 11 months removed from it. Theories about the Cardinals keeping Murray inactive as they determine their future, which could include Drake Maye or Caleb Williams, ended up unfounded. But Murray’s showing stands to impact how the team proceeds next year, regardless of Jonathan Gannon‘s interest in keeping Murray as long as he is the HC.

The Cardinals could be in position to either draft one of the top two QBs or follow in the Bears’ footsteps and auction the pick to accelerate a rebuild that would, in the latter scenario, include Murray as the centerpiece. The Texans have improved to the point it looks unlikely they will land a top-five draft slot for a fourth straight year; Houston traded its 2024 first-rounder to Arizona to move up for Will Anderson in April. It would stand to reason Murray being active will hurt the Cardinals’ chances of securing a top-two pick in the ’24 draft, but the Cardinals’ power structure wants to see the former No. 1 overall pick in this new system to collect more information.

Murray could conceivably restore some of his trade value by staying healthy upon return. But Howe adds that his contract — five years, $230.5MM ($103.3MM fully guaranteed) — is not seen as tradeable. It would cost the Cardinals a record-setting (for now, as Russell Wilson‘s contract remains on the Broncos’ cap sheet) $46MM in dead money if he were traded before June 1. The Cards would owe Murray an $11.9MM guarantee on March 17 — Day 5 of the 2023 league year — if he is still on the roster; that money covers part of his 2025 salary. The year-out guarantee would stand to drive an early trade, but it would be punitive for the Cardinals. And a shortage of teams, Murray’s flashes in the past notwithstanding, would be in line to take on that contract.

Arizona paying part of Murray’s deal could facilitate a better return, but an executive told Howe a Murray release could also be in play — in the event the Cardinals commit to drafting another QB — due to a lack of trade interest. Even in a post-June 1 scenario, the Cardinals would be hit with a $48.3MM dead-money bill in 2024 by cutting the QB they extended in July 2022. A QB-needy team not in position to nab Williams or Maye may also be interested in Murray, though the return would not approach what the Texans received for Watson last year.

The fork-in-the-road moment the Cardinals may soon face will be a storyline to monitor as Murray resumes play. They already dealt Dobbs to clear out a spot, doing so after Gannon had told the media the journeyman would start against the Browns in Week 9. Dobbs took it a step further this week, indicating Gannon informed him he would not be traded.

Went to sleep, woke up Tuesday morning with a text from my agent saying, ‘Hey, you could be traded today because it’s the trade deadline,” Dobbs said on his Torchbearers podcast (via Yardbarker). “When I had the meeting with [Gannon] in Arizona, he looked at me in the face and he said, ‘You’re not being traded. You’re not being released. You’re going to be here in Arizona.”

After Gannon confirmed the Cardinals’ course change on Oct. 30, the team pulled the trigger on the Dobbs trade hours before the Oct. 31 deadline. The Cardinals sent Dobbs and a conditional seventh-round pick to the Vikings for a 2024 sixth-rounder. Dobbs, who made eight starts as a Cardinal, will start again for the Vikings in Week 10. It is not uncommon to see coaches and GMs backtrack on previous claims as trade rumors circulate, and it is also possible Gannon intended to start Dobbs once again but ended up being overruled.

The 28-year-old passer, after replacing a concussed Jaren Hall, piloted the Vikings to an upset win in Atlanta despite barely knowing Kevin O’Connell‘s system. Tune is now positioned as Murray’s backup, but the next two months will provide some answers about Arizona’s post-2023 QB direction.

Poll: Who Fared Best At Trade Deadline

A week removed from this year’s trade deadline, every team will soon have its acquired talent in uniform. The 49ers, Lions and Jaguars made trades while in bye weeks; Chase Young, Donovan Peoples-Jones and Ezra Cleveland will suit up for their new teams soon.

On this note, it is time to gauge the position every notable buyer and seller landed in following the deals. This year’s deadline featured two second-round picks being moved, though the teams that made those moves (Chicago, Seattle) have different timelines in place.

We have to start with the Commanders, who scrapped their yearslong Young-Montez Sweat partnership by making the surprise decision to move both defensive ends hours before the deadline. Although the team was listening to offers on both, it was widely assumed they would only part with one, thus saving a contract offer or a 2024 franchise tag for the other alongside well-paid D-tackles Daron Payne and Jonathan Allen. New owner Josh Harris looks to have made his bigger-picture plan clear, however, pressing upon the Commanders’ football-ops department to explore moving both.

Washington collected a second-rounder that likely will land in the 30s in exchange for Sweat, who was in a contract year at the time. It only obtained a compensatory third for Young, who drew interest from other teams (including the Ravens). For the first time in the common draft era, Washington holds five picks in the first three rounds. It cannot be assumed Ron Rivera and GM Martin Mayhew will be making those picks, but Harris has effectively forced his hot-seat staffers to make do this season without Young and Sweat, who have combined for 11.5 sacks this year.

The initial team to pounce on the Commanders’ sale made a buyer’s move despite being in a seller’s position for the second straight year. After trading what became the No. 32 overall pick for Chase Claypool, GM Ryan Poles signed off on the Sweat pickup. The Bears have struggled to rush the passer under Matt Eberflus, having traded Khalil Mack in March 2022 and Robert Quinn last October. While acquiring a veteran in a contract year injects risk into the equation, Poles had the franchise tag at his disposal. But the Bears made good use of their newfound negotiating rights with Sweat, extending him on a four-year, $98MM pact. Despite no Pro Bowls or double-digit sack seasons, Sweat is now the NFL’s fifth-highest-paid edge rusher. Though, the Bears’ long-term edge outlook appears rosier compared to its pre-Halloween view.

Mayhew, Robert Saleh and Mike McDaniel have provided third-round compensatory picks for the 49ers, who have been the NFL’s chief beneficiary of the Rooney Rule tweak that awards third-round picks to teams who see minority coaches or execs become HCs or GMs. The team has more picks coming after the Ran Carthon and DeMeco Ryans hires. Using one to acquire Young seems like a low-risk move, given the former Defensive Rookie of the Year’s talent. Young has made strides toward recapturing the form he showed before his severe 2021 knee injury, and he is on pace for a career high in sacks.

The 49ers, who won last year’s trade deadline by landing Christian McCaffrey, will deploy Young alongside ex-college teammate Nick Bosa and the rest of their high-priced D-line contingent. The team will have a decision to make on Young soon; the free agent-to-be is not eyeing in-season extension talks, either. San Francisco could at least be in position to nab a midround compensatory pick, should Young leave in 2024.

The Young move came a day after the Seahawks obtained Leonard Williams from the Giants. That move cost Seattle second- and fifth-round picks. Williams is also in a contract year, but with the Giants picking up most of the tab, Seattle has the veteran D-tackle on its cap sheet at $647K. The former Jets top-10 pick has shown consistent ability to provide inside pressure, and the USC alum’s best work came in his previous contract year (2020). Gunning for another big payday, Williams joins Dre’Mont Jones in what is probably the best interior D-line duo of the Seahawks’ Pete Carroll era.

Seattle still surrendered a second-round pick for a player who could be a rental. Williams cannot realistically be franchise-tagged in 2024, with the Giants tagging him in 2020 and ’21, and he is not yet on Seattle’s extension radar. The Giants have already paid Dexter Lawrence and were planning on letting Williams walk. They passed on a comp pick for the trade haul, effectively buying a second-round pick in the way the Broncos did in the 2021 Von Miller trade. The Giants, who suddenly could be in the market for a 2024 QB addition, now have an additional second-rounder at their disposal.

While they made their move a week before the deadline, the Eagles landed the most accomplished player of this year’s in-season trade crop. Kevin Byard is a two-time first-team All-Pro safety, and although he is in his age-30 season, the former third-round pick is signed through 2024. The Eagles sent the Titans fifth- and sixth-round picks (and Terrell Edmunds) for Byard, a Philadelphia native, marking the team’s second splash trade for a safety in two years. Philly’s C.J. Gardner-Johnson swap turned out well, and Byard not being a pure rental could make this a better move.

Rather than turning to a fifth-round rookie, the Vikings acquired Josh Dobbs in a pick swap involving sixth- and/or seventh-rounders and saw the move translate to a surprising Week 9 win. Dobbs following in Baker Mayfield‘s footsteps as a trade acquisition-turned-immediate starter also made him the rare QB to see extensive action for two teams in two weeks; Mayfield was inactive in his final game as a Panther. The well-traveled Dobbs could give the Vikings a better chance to stay afloat in the NFC playoff race.

The Lions (Peoples-Jones), Jaguars (Cleveland) and Bills (Rasul Douglas) also made buyer’s moves at the deadline. The Bills gave the Packers a third-round pick, collecting a fifth in the pick-swap deal, for Douglas. They will hope the Green Bay starter can help stabilize their cornerback corps after Tre’Davious White‘s second major injury.

Who ended up faring the best at this year’s deadline? Vote in PFR’s latest poll and weigh in with your thoughts on this year’s moves in the comments section.

Vikings To Start Josh Dobbs In Week 10; Jaren Hall In Concussion Protocol

The start of the Kirk Cousins-less schedule did not go as planned for the Vikings, with rookie quarterback Jaren Hall leaving his debut due to a concussion. His replacement fared well, though, and he has earned a start as a result.

Josh Dobbs – who was thrust into action days after arriving with the Vikings because of Hall’s injury – led his new team to a dramatic comeback victory. Dobbs threw a touchdown in the final minute of play to help Minnesota earn a 31-28 win, and his performance will see him take first-team reps in practice this week. Head coach Kevin O’Connell named Dobbs the team’s projected Week 10 starter on Monday.

As NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero notes, Hall is in concussion protocol, which threatens his availability for the team’s upcoming game against the Saints. With fellow depth option Nick Mullens on IR, it comes as no surprise that Minnesota will turn to Dobbs at the top of the re-arranged QB depth chart. Cousins’ Achilles tear has left the team in need of a bridge starter to close out the season.

That unfortunate turn appeared to give Hall a chance to receive valuable in-game action to help his own development and the Vikings’ evaluation of a potential Cousins successor. The latter is set to have his contract expire this offseason, and it remains to be seen if a new deal will be worked out in the coming months. A fifth-rounder out of BYU, Hall has managed only 22 snaps between the end of Week 8 and the beginning of yesterday’s contest, however.

Cousins’ injury led to Minnesota’s decision to add an experienced insurance policy under center, which took the form of the Dobbs acquisition. The latter started eight games with the Cardinals in the absence of Kyler Murray this season, arriving in the desert after being dealt away by the Browns in a deal which came about rather suddenly. Having developed a knack for playing on extremely short notice dating back to his Titans cameo last season, Dobbs will find himself in familiar territory next week when he starts his first Vikings game. It will be interesting to see how he performs against New Orleans and how Minnesota handles the QB spot once Hall is cleared.

Deadline Notes: Dolphins, Saints, Rams

The Dolphins are one of the most explosive teams in the NFL and sit tied atop the AFC with a 6-2 record. While Miami has clearly established themselves as a contender, the team remained quiet through the deadline. In fact, head coach Mike McDaniel told reporters that the Dolphins really didn’t have any trades in the works leading up to the deadline.

This is mostly because of the team’s IR situation, and the Dolphins will soon see a number of talented players return from injury. As McDaniel explained to reporters, those additions should give the Dolphins the boost that they would have been seeking via trade.

“Yeah, we actually have several of the best trades that exist in the works. Ok? You’re talking about getting players with no compensation, or no assets given, from injury. So, I mean, we’re in a great spot,” McDaniels said (via Adam H. Beasley of ProFootballNetwork.com).

“I think [GM] Chris [Grier] is always, and will always enter into, you know, whatever conversations that are sought out to him and, you know, that’s that’s a part of his job. He doesn’t labor my mind with, ‘Hey, you know, like NFL gossip, like, hey, I talked to this guy and this guy,’ you know, he, he, he brings it to my attention when we need to discuss it when it, when it’s to a serious platform.

“And he didn’t discuss anything. And that speaks to where we’re at with our football team. We’ve been playing some good football, and then we have some players that are very good players that are returning.”

Safety Jevon Holland (concussion), cornerback Xavien Howard (groin), and center Connor Williams (groin) are among the injured players who could return to the field as soon as this week.

More notes following the trade deadline:

  • Following a quiet deadline day, Saints GM Mickey Loomis admitted that he discussed acquiring players for draft assets but never actively shopped any of the players on his roster. “We talked to a couple of teams about a couple of things, more in the acquisition area as opposed to trading somebody,”  Loomis said (h/t John Hendrix). “We didn’t really talk about trading anyone from our team. We did talk to a couple teams about an acquisition, but I wouldn’t say it ever got really serious.” The Saints currently sit with a 4-4 record and are tied with the Falcons atop the NFC South.
  • The Rams have a 3-5 record and are facing some uncertainty at QB, leading some pundits to wonder if they’d be sellers at the deadline. While the team received calls on some veterans, the Rams never shopped any of their star players. According to Jourdan Rodrigue of The Athletic, the Rams didn’t consider moving Matthew Stafford, Cooper Kupp, or Aaron Donald despite the front office potentially having eyes on the 2024 campaign.
  • Similarly, the Cowboys didn’t initiate any trade talks with teams, per ESPN’s Dan Graziano. The reporter notes that the front office did receive some calls on their defensive depth, but the Cowboys were content sticking with their current squad.
  • Some details on trades that were actually made: the conditional seventh-round pick that the Cardinals sent to the Vikings alongside QB Joshua Dobbs was a selection that originated with the Falcons, per Howard Balzer. Meanwhile, ESPN’s Brady Henderson notes that the Giants are paying most of the remaining $10MM on Leonard Williams‘ contract, with the Seahawks owing their new player only $647K.

Cardinals To Trade QB Josh Dobbs To Vikings

1:33pm: The Vikings are preparing Hall for the Week 9 start, Kevin O’Connell said (via the Associated Press’ Rob Maaddi). Dobbs suiting up is possible, per O’Connell. Dobbs has a history of being ready on short notice, having started barely a week after the Titans signed him off the Lions’ practice squad.

12:38pm: For the second time this year, Josh Dobbs will be traded. A day after Jonathan Gannon indicated it will be Kyler Murray or Clayton Tune starting for the Cardinals in Week 9, the team will unload Dobbs.

The Vikings, who lost Kirk Cousins for the season in Week 8, will bring in the veteran backup/spot starter, Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero of NFL.com report. The Cardinals had acquired Dobbs, 28, from the Browns in late August; he will now join a QB room featuring two injured players. Cousins’ Week 1 backup, Nick Mullens, is also on IR. This comes two days after Gannon said Dobbs would start against the Browns, pointing to the Week 9 benching being driven by these trade talks.

Arizona will send Dobbs and a seventh-round pick to Minnesota for a sixth-rounder, according to ESPN.com’s Adam Schefter. Conditions are included that can turn the seventh-round pick the Vikings are receiving into a sixth, per Schefter. This will amount to a flier for the Vikings, who have not previously needed to deal with an injury absence in their six seasons with Cousins.

While this might not satisfy Vikings fans eager for a higher-profile name, Dobbs will come to the Twin Cities with eight 2023 starts under his belt. After being expected to trot out Colt McCoy while Murray finished his recovery from a December 2022 ACL tear, the Cardinals instead plugged in Dobbs. The team delivered some surprisingly competitive efforts, but it has fallen to 1-7. Tune is expected to start for Arizona in Week 9, with Murray moving close to a return.

On the season, Dobbs has completed 62.8% of his passes (at just 5.9 yards per attempt) and has thrown eight touchdown passes compared to five interceptions. Not exactly equipped with a high-end skill-position corps, Dobbs also came to the desert barely two weeks before the season. The Browns had planned to use Dobbs as their backup, but they viewed fifth-round rookie Dorian Thompson-Robinson has having made enough progress. Cleveland quickly benched Thompson-Robinson for practice squad pickup P.J. Walker, who has become Deshaun Watson‘s top backup.

The Vikings turned to fifth-round draftee Jaren Hall as Cousins’ emergency replacement, but they now have some options. The team has used Sean Mannion as Cousins’ backup in multiple seasons; Mannion is back on the Vikes’ practice squad. Hall and Mannion had loomed as the team’s top healthy options, but Mullens is expected to come off IR at some point. A back injury moved Mullens to IR earlier this month. Mullens can return after one more missed game.

For his career, Dobbs has made 10 starts. His teams are 1-9 in those games. Granted, Dobbs has not been thrust into good situations when asked to start. His initial two starts came for an injury-riddled Titans team last season, and while the former Steelers draftee showed better form compared to Malik Willis last season, Tennessee still lost both his starts. The noted rocket scientist engineered an upset win over the Cowboys earlier this season, but the Cardinals have lost their past five games. Murray is also believed to be fully healthy and ready to return. With Tune in place as a possible long-term backup, the Cards did not have a clear role for Dobbs.

Loosely connected to Jacoby Brissett — whom Dobbs backed up during his 2022 Cleveland stopover — the Vikings are not necessarily ruled out from another starter option. Carson Wentz remains available, and Matt Ryan contacted the Jets after Aaron Rodgers‘ injury. Tom Brady has unretiring experience, though the QB icon was viewed as a nonstarter for the Jets in September. But the Dobbs move does almost definitely close the book on any other QB additions via trade for the 4-4 Vikings.