Pros and Cons for the Vikings re-signing Kirk Cousins in 2024 (and beyond)
By Ben Donahue
Con: Joshua Dobbs can be a good bridge quarterback for the future
Dobbs was a fourth round pick out of Tennessee by the Pittsburgh Steelers in 2017. Since then, he has bounced around the league from Pittsburgh to Jacksonville, Pittsburgh again, Cleveland, Detroit, Tennessee, Cleveland again, Arizona and Minnesota.
He began 2023 as a member of the Browns before getting traded to the Cardinals to fill-in for the recovering Kyler Murray and then traded once again to fill-in for Cousins.
Dobbs entered his first action as a Viking against Atlanta just days after signing with the team. His was inserted near the end of the first quarter and passed for 158 yards and accounted for three scores in a win against the Falcons. He started again against New Orleans and had 268 yards and another touchdown for victory number two.
The Vikings offense seems to be responding well to Dobbs and he has always been respected wherever he’s played. As most Vikings fans know, Dobbs majored in aerospace engineering in college and has designs to work at NASA following his playing career. Translation: he’s no dummy. Having a background in rocket science, Dobbs can pick up on the intricacies of an NFL playbook quickly. He can decipher opposing defenses and put his team in the right position.
There are also a number of NFL talking heads who think that Dobbs can be the next Geno Smith. Smith was a highly touted quarterback coming out of college whose career didn’t pan out with either New York teams or the Chargers. He then caught on with the Seattle Seahawks and has had a career resurgence. Smith is 33 years old and Dobbs is just 28, but he could be poised to break out with a solid Minnesota team.
It’s entirely possible that Dobbs could be the Vikings’ short-term answer while the team drafts its (hopeful) franchise quarterback in 2024 to develop under Dobbs. That would allow the organization to say goodbye to Cousins and build for the future with some stability still under center.