3 worst roster decisions made by the Vikings in 2023

The Minnesota Vikings are making their final push for a spot in the postseason. They've overcome a ton of obstacles to make it this far, including the loss of their starting quarterback, losing their star wide receiver, and also losing key parts of their defense.

It's truly impressive that the Vikings have been able to hang together and have found the will to continue to battle and overcome these daunting obstacles. Minnesota is in the thick of the NFC playoff picture, and they are just a few victories away from securing their spot.

While the Vikings have overcome odds that would sink most teams, they've also made some decisions with their roster that have had a negative impact.

Maybe some of these moves are the reason Minnesota is currently in the grind of the playoff picture instead of sitting in a comfortable spot. Not every roster decision is the right one, but some are more costly than others.

So, let's go over a few of the Vikings' worst roster decisions of 2023.

1. Sticking with Josh Dobbs

This is one that Vikings fans wish they could have back. Josh Dobbs will go down in Minnesota team history as maybe one of the most exciting and shortest reigns of a starting quarterback the franchise has ever had.

Dobbs stormed onto the scene against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 9 and led the Vikings to an improbable victory despite not knowing most of his new teammates or any of the plays.

He followed that up with an electric performance in Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints, at least for a half. Then, the magic started to fade away.

The next week against the Denver Broncos, we saw Dobbs fumble the ball and throw a horrible interception late and deep in opposing territory. Then, the following week was another disaster at home in Minnesota for the quarterback with a four-interception performance against the Chicago Bears.

Despite the awful play, Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell still went back to him after the team's bye week. Against the Las Vegas Raiders in Week 14, we saw Dobbs struggle with ball placement and decision-making for three full quarters and zero points before mercifully being pulled and replaced with Nick Mullens.

In hindsight, Minnesota should've pulled the plug on Dobbs after the first half against the Bears in Week 12.

His inaccurate passing and poor decision-making were evident and had the change to Nick Mullens been made, the Vikings likely would've snuck away with a victory and be in a much more comfortable position as they push to the playoffs.

O'Connell's commitment to Dobbs could prove to be a very costly decision for Minnesota and one that could ultimately keep them out of the postseason.