It has been less than six weeks since Josh Dobbs emerged as almost a mythical figure in the NFL, making Thursday’s news report from the Minnesota Vikings seem hard to believe.
The veteran quarterback joined the Vikings via a trade on Oct. 31. Just days later, Dobbs came on in relief of starter Jaren Hall and rallied the Vikings to a victory over the Atlanta Falcons. Dobbs not only didn’t know the playbook, he didn’t even know his teammates’ names.
And he had to gather those strangers around him on the sideline during that game and practice taking snaps so they could learn his cadence.
An instant legend was born, and Dobbs’ story got even better the following week when he passed for almost 300 yards in a win against the New Orleans Saints.
Dobbs became the unexpected hero who had stepped in to save the Vikings’ season in the wake of Kirk Cousins’ season-ending injury. Fans even fell in love with Dobbs’ cool nickname, “Passtronaut,” a clever play on his aeronautical engineering degree.
The good times didn’t last, however. The Vikings lost a game, then lost the following week to the Chicago Bears, with Dobbs throwing four interceptions. After Minnesota sputtered Sunday against the Las Vegas Raiders, Dobbs got benched in favor of Nick Mullens, who began moving the team.
Which leads us to Thursday’s report. Not only will Mullens start Saturday against the Cincinnati Bengals, but the rookie Hall will serve as the backup.
Dobbs, the much-heralded Passtronaut and one-time folk hero, is the No. 3 “break-glass-in-case-of-emergency” QB.
Head Coach Kevin O’Connell announces that Jaren Hall will back up Nick Mullens Saturday and Joshua Dobbs will serve as the emergency 3rd QB.
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) December 14, 2023
What we’ve learned in the past six weeks is there’s probably a reason the 28-year-old Dobbs has been a backup quarterback most of his career. He’s not as good as he showed his first two games with the Vikings, but not as bad as he looked throwing four picks against the Bears.
But Dobbs’ demotion to third string just shows once again the NFL, maybe more than any other sports league, is a “what have you done for me lately” business.
A cool nickname and electrifying debut only take a player so far.
RIP Passtronaut
OCT 2023 – DEC 2023
— Brett Kollmann (@BrettKollmann) December 14, 2023
