Vikings demote Josh Dobbs to emergency third QB behind Nick Mullens, Jaren Hall

Ahead of their Week 15 matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals, the Minnesota Vikings have made a key choice at quarterback. Head coach Kevin O’Connell revealed Thursday that former starter Joshua Dobbs will be the team’s third-string emergency quarterback on game day with rookie Jaren Hall backing up Nick Mullens.

Mullens, a former starter for the 49ers, played in the team’s 3-0 win over the Raiders last week. He posted nine completions on 13 attempts, gaining 83 yards passing with no touchdowns, interceptions or sacks taken. The Raiders were also starting a backup in Aidan O’Connell due to Derek Carr‘s concussion protocol.

Dobbs, who will be available for the Vikings in case of injury to Mullens and Hall, played five games for the Vikings after his trade from the Arizona Cardinals. He went 95-for-151 with 895 passing yards, five touchdowns and five interceptions. After helping Minnesota win the first two games after he joined the team, the Vikings lost to the Broncos and the Bears, each by less than a field goal.

The Vikings turned to Dobbs after Kirk Cousins tore his Achilles in October. At 7-6, they have a roughly 58% chance of making the playoffs. After the game against the Bengals, Minnesota plays the Lions, the Packers and then the Lions again to finish the regular season.

Rookie Jaren Hall has played two games so far this season. He’s 8-for-10 with 101 yards.

Vikings to start Mullens vs Bengals

After O’Connell announced Mullens as the starter for Saturday’s game, he told reporters that Dobbs understood the choice. The veteran’s struggle against the Bears and then the Raiders caused the head coach to give the next man up a try.

“Josh, for the better part of four games and three quarters there, led us to three wins and there’s a lot of teams in this league that when they do lose their starter, it takes a lot to overcome that and continue pressing onward,” Kevin O’Connell said. “The team we’re playing this week, they’re experiencing it right now and Jake Browning’s doing a lot of good things to lead them to some wins at the right time of the year. So, I think Josh understands the process and where we’ve been at.”

“I think he has respect for the opportunity he had and some of the really good things he did, but I think in communicating with him and making sure he knows exactly what the thought process is, the idea was to make sure there’s full transparency with these guys,” O’Connell added.

“I do believe Nick Mullens gives us the best chance to win the football game this Saturday, and that’s the decision we’ve made.”