ATLANTA — A few days ago, a man walked into the locker room at the Minnesota Vikings’ practice facility carrying a hanger with a red No. 15 jersey dangling off it like he just grabbed it from a discount rack at a local sporting goods store. Garrett Bradbury, the Vikings’ center, noticed this man and decided to introduce himself. He stood up and extended his hand.
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“Welcome, man,” Bradbury said.
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“Any time!” Bradbury said, while privately wondering how in the world Dobbs had already thought about cadences. “Just hit me up on it whenever.”
Neither man could know then what we know now. That a mere 78 hours after that introduction, Dobbs would have his hands between Bradbury’s legs while 71,000 enemy fans and 11 Atlanta Falcons defenders were breathing down their necks. Five days after he was acquired in a trade with the Arizona Cardinals, Dobbs would not only be running the Vikings offense, but he would also be improvising on the fly, making plays with his legs and commanding the unit as if he had been running it for years to spur Minnesota to an improbable and enthralling 31-28 victory Sunday over the Falcons. He finished with 158 yards through the air on 20-of-30 passing. He also ran for 66 yards on seven carries. At the time of that initial conversation, Dobbs was just trying to find his way around.
After meeting Bradbury, he meandered to his locker. Reporters crowded around him. Cameras zoomed in on his bewildered face. He talked about the trade. About how, in the 36-hour span that followed last weekend’s Cardinals loss, he had transitioned from starter to backup to learning the Vikings had added him in the aftermath of Kirk Cousins’ ruptured right Achilles tendon. The news stunned him. Really? After starting the first eight games of the season? After finally finding a place to live? He had to move again? Never give up. 🙌
— Minnesota Vikings (@Vikings) November 5, 2023He had been living out of the same suitcase for the first six weeks of the 2023 season. This is what happens when the Cleveland Browns trade you late in training camp. Finally, his furniture arrived last week. To celebrate, his parents flew from their home in Alpharetta, Ga., to stay with him and watch him play. They enjoyed the weekend, Dobbs said, and even if he was unsatisfied with his play, they all appreciated the brief moment of stability.
In reality, the only thing stable in his young NFL career has been the color of the jersey he wears in practice. Quarterbacks almost always wear red, no matter if the game day version is Steeler black, Titan blue, Cardinal red or, now, Viking purple. The 28-year-old has appeared in games for four teams in 3 1/2 years and been rostered on three more, a dizzying ride that he likes to call “a beautiful journey.” Finishing the introductory interview Thursday, he scanned the Vikings’ locker room, looked to the left, then the right. He blinked hard. His eyes flickered with what appeared to be oncoming tears.“This is going to be a tremendous story to tell,” he said.
The man stands at a lectern in the bowels of Mercedes-Benz Stadium in Atlanta. The Vikings have won. The locker room is vibrating. In an adjacent interview room, the man grabs the microphone with his right hand, looks up at the media members seated before him and says: “What’s up, y’all. I’m Josh Dobbs. Honored to be in Minnesota. (Wanted to) introduce myself.”Mission accomplished.Dobbs had just commandeered the Vikings on an 11-play, 75-yard game-winning drive with 2 minutes, 8 seconds remaining. The momentum built like a tidal wave, and Vikings general manager Kwesi Adofo-Mensah paced in the press box as he watched it all. Josh Dobbs and Kevin O’Connell embrace after the @Vikings go-ahead touchdown! 🎥 pic.twitter.com/l0JthGBpow — FOX Sports: NFL (@NFLonFOX) November 5, 2023Adofo-Mensah was antsy, nervous and unquestionably entertained amid an afternoon that had been gut-wrenching. The team’s starting quarterback, rookie Jaren Hall, exited with a concussion after a collision at the goal line on his second drive of the game. One of the team’s starting wide receivers, K.J. Osborn, was carted off after a vicious hit over the middle. Backup running back Cam Akers had been taken to the locker room with an Achilles injury. Superstar wide receiver Justin Jefferson watched from the sideline for the fourth straight game and ascending left tackle Christian Darrisaw was a late scratch with a groin injury.Thanks to a valiant effort by Brian Flores’ defensive unit, and a gutsy offensive effort, the Vikings had a chance that lay in the hands of the man Adofo-Mensah had just acquired. At the time of the deal, the Vikings were certain about one thing: Dobbs could learn an offense on a whim. Not memorize an offensive playbook or call sheet — but learn it. Dobbs’ college coach at Tennessee, Butch Jones, described this quality as Dobbs’ functional intelligence.“It’s not just book smart,” Jones said. “He’s able to apply what he learns and take it over on the field. The great thing is you only have to tell him one time.”By now, you probably know that Dobbs is legitimately a rocket scientist. His college coursework at Tennessee consisted of mastering engineering equations. That passion derives from a childhood fascination with space. The math background does not translate directly to football, but as Dobbs has said, there are more similarities between quarterbacks and engineers than you might think.“Defenses are giving me different problems, where you’re taking the assessment of data from film, and you have to assess those problems and solve them quickly to put your team in efficient situations,” he said in a video detailing an externship he had with NASA. Yes, you read that right.