Vikings shock the world with trade to replace Kirk Cousins after injury

After Kirk Cousins went down for the season with an Achilles' tendon tear, it was reported that the most likely path forward for the Minnesota Vikings was for the team to look toward its internal backups as candidates to step up and replace Cousins.

That made sense, especially after the Jets took the same path when Aaron Rodgers suffered an identical injury in Week 1 to relative success. New York started Zach Wilson instead of looking at potential outside options.

Even a mediocre quarterback with knowledge of the playbook is better than a talented outsider who needs weeks to get up to speed, is the thinking.

But on trade deadline day, pressed up against a deadline to make a deal, the Vikings secured a new starter: Joshua Dobbs.

Vikings trade for new starting quarterback to help soften blow of losing Kirk Cousins

According to Ian Rapoport and Tom Pelissero, the Vikings traded with the Cardinals to land Josh Dobbs.

Dobbs has started for the Cardinals all year in Kyler Murray's absence due to injury. He's thrown 8 touchdowns, 5 interceptions, and for 1,569 yards.

The trade was for picks, but the Vikings don't exactly lose a pick, they merely give up one of higher value for one of lower value. Josina Anderson reports that the pick swap is for a sixth- and seventh-round pick, presumably the Vikings giving their sixth in exchange for the Cardinals' seventh.

The trade, generally, makes sense. The Vikings didn't have stellar in-house options to replace Cousins, and Dobbs, though not an elite quarterback by any stretch of the imagination, has plenty of starting experience and will be an instantly better option than Jaren Hall.

While fans might expect to see Hall start a game or two as Dobbs gets acclimated with the playbook, he's becoming somewhat of a starting quarterback journeyman and may be able to absorb the Vikings' scheme faster than expected.