The Minnesota Vikings Trade For Joshua Dobbs: I Asked A Bunch Of People About Him And Stole Their Opinions
Who is Joshua Dobbs and why did the Minnesota Vikings trade for him? I asked a bunch of people paid to have opinions on him but I didn't pay them for those opinions
After the injury to Kirk Cousins following the win over the Green Bay Packers — just ahead of the NFL trade deadline, there was a short but lively debate about how the Vikings should approach the rest of the season now that it looked winnable.
The Vikings didn’t break the bank for a potential long-term starter, instead investing in a career journeyman who has flashed at different moments throughout his career. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the Vikings traded a marginal amount for Dobbs.
Dobbs ranks 28th in PFF grade among quarterbacks, 26th in adjusted net yards per attempt and 27th in EPA per play.
I asked a number of quarterback specialists, as well as people who follow the Cardinals, about the former Arizona quarterback.
What Can Josh Dobbs Do Well?
Derrik Klassen, a quarterback analyst for 33rd Team and Reception Perception, has been impressed with Dobbs — at least relative to expectation.
“Dobbs is functional,” said Klassen. “He's been a quality underneath distributor when kept clean, especially with the help of RPOs. Can be a useful weapon in the run game. He does a lot of the things you would typically ascribe to a veteran backup as far as keeping things afloat.”
Benjamin Solak at the Ringer agrees. “Dobbs is one of the better spot starters the league has to offer,” he said. “[Dobbs] can’t offer the level of play that Kirk was producing before his injury, but when Jefferson returns to the lineup, Dobbs has enough talent as a thrower to keep the offense moving with Jefferson, Addison, and Hockenson.”
His colleague, Steven Ruiz, wrote in his quarterback rankings “I think it’s against the law to write about Dobbs without mentioning his background in rocket science,” Ruiz wrote. “It would be a stretch to say that his intelligence jumps off the screen, but Dobbs does play with good timing, typically the product of knowing the offense well.”
The way Dobbs comported himself in the Cardinals’ surprise win over the Cowboys caught J.T. O’Sullivan’s eye on the QB School YouTube channel. His video on Dobbs in that game provides us with a best-case scenario for Dobbs in big moments.
In that video, O’Sullivan praises Dobbs’ excellent footwork, calling it “teach tape” for what the offense demands of him. Throughout the video O’Sullivan also highlights something we don’t often see in caretaker-type quarterbacks: successful improvisation.
Dobbs will change his arm slot and footwork to account for what’s happening in the pocket and will adjust his read progression based on those factors. At the end, O’Sullivan largely had praise. “I thought Dobbs managed the game [well], used his vision, [and] was able to create a little bit as well. There were some really impressive throws in this,” he said.
He’s done well to avoid catastrophic mistakes, when put into difficult situations. For example, he’s graded well against pressure this year and is not particularly bad in any one area of play.
Blake Murphy of Revenge of the Birds, the SB Nation site devoted to the Cardinals told me that “Josh Dobbs is smart enough to quickly learn an offense and can keep the score close and a team competitive.”
That sounds great, but not all praise was unmitigated.
What Are the Concerns?
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