2023 Minnesota Vikings Trade Deadline Recap

By    |  
Updated:
Minnesota Vikings, Kwesi Adofo-Mensah
Matt Krohn-USA TODAY Sports

The NFL trade deadline has come and gone and the past few hours were an absolute whirlwind across the league. But one of the most active teams today was the Minnesota Vikings, who nobody really knew, entering the day, whether they’d be buyers or sellers.

Minnesota Vikings trade deadline recap

In the end, they were both. First, they broke the internet a little bit when they traded for 28-year-old QB, Josh Dobbs, to help fill up the void left in the QB room by Kirk Cousins’ injury.

Then, after buying on Dobbs, GM Kwesi-Adofo Mensah dealt away one of the better left guards in the league, Ezra Cleveland, to the Jacksonville Jaguars for a 2024 6th round pick.

Here are our full breakdowns on each trade:

Vikings add QB security with Josh Dobbs

The first thing the Vikings did on Tuesday, before the trade deadline, was solidify some depth at quarterback, after losing Kirk Cousins to a season-ending Achilles tear.

To do that, they swapped their 6th round pick in April for the Arizona Cardinals 7th round pick, in order to acquire the quarterback who has started all eight games for them this season, Josh Dobbs.

Dobbs was available for clearance prices because the Cardinals are expected to activate Kyler Murray off injured reserve and they just drafted a young QB, Clayton Tune, last April. Dobbs isn’t a cinch starter for the Vikings and he’ll sit behind rookie QB, Jaren Hall, this weekend vs the Atlanta Falcons.

But, Dobbs brings a lot of experience in multiple different NFL offensive systems. He went to school to be a rocket scientist, so the Vikings hope he can catch on quickly.

We’ll see if Dobbs ever starts a game for the Vikings, with Hall getting the first crack at starting, post 2023 Kirk Cousins, and Nick Mullins set to come off IR in a couple of weeks. Even if he doesn’t, Kwesi & Co were smart to add valuable depth to a now raw position.

Ezra Cleveland traded for 6th round pick

Trade rumors have been circulating around Ezra Cleveland since this offseason. He’s on the final year of his rookie contract and has never really been expected to stick around this offseason.

Still, trading one of the better offensive guards in the league, when he’s only in his mid-20’s, is risky. That especially holds true when you only get a 6th round pick, in return. Obviously, the Vikings were motivated to deal Cleveland and nothing was going to stop it from happening, even a lackluster haul back.

If the Minnesota Vikings interior offensive line deals with any injury issues through the end of the season, or if Ezra becomes a decade-long rock on someone else’s offensive line, this deal will reflect poorly on Kwesi-Adofo Mensah.

Danielle Hunter stays put

The Danielle Hunter situation seemed to be trending this way, the last couple weeks, after the Vikings put together their current three game win streak. Kwesi wasn’t completely against dealing the NFL’s sack leader today but they needed something better than a 2nd round pick, to get it done, an offer they never received.

Thus, Hunter will remain in Minnesota for the rest of the 2023-24 season, before the Vikings either find a way to ink him long term or he leaves via free agency.

Eric Strack | Minnesota Sports Fan

Mentioned in this article:

More About: