The Bears defense face a different Vikings challenge in ‘The Passtronaut’
Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs runs against the Broncos.
Photo by Matthew Stockman/Getty Images
For a century, the Bears have made producing a solid starting quarterback seem like rocket science. It’s fitting, then, that it took a rocket science major to prove that it’s possible to find good quarterback help on the fly.
Vikings quarterback Josh Dobbs has the perfect nickname for his to-the-moon rise — the former aerospace engineering major at Tennessee is known as “The Passtronaut.” He’s needed every bit of that intelligence to digest no fewer than five NFL playbooks in the last year.
When Dobbs takes the field against the Bears on Monday night, he’ll be playing for his fifth team in 364 days — not counting the Browns, for whom he had two stints.
“It’s incredible. …” Bears offensive coordinator Luke Getsy said Friday. “I’ve only heard incredible things about the kind of guy that he is and how brilliant he is. …
“I don’t think I would be able to articulate it well enough, to be honest with you, how incredible that is for him to go and have success really everywhere he goes.”
Dobbs was cut by the Browns on Nov. 28, 2022. He signed with the Lions a week later, and the Titans three weeks after that. Dobbs rejoined the Browns in March, but they traded him to the Cardinals, who needed a temporary starter, in August. The Cardinals sent him to the Vikings, who had lost quarterback Kirk Cousins for the year, right before the NFL’s Halloween trade deadline.
In the last year, Dobbs has started two games for the Titans, seven for the Cardinals and seven and the Vikings for two. But it was a stint off the bench that stands out the most — taking the place of the Vikings’ Jaren Hall, who was injured five days after the trade, Dobbs taught his linemen his snap cadence on the sideline before being hustled into the game. With coach Kevin O’Connell explaining plays in his earpiece before every snap, Dobbs rallied the Vikings to a three-point win against the Falcons.
“Isn’t it something? …” said Bears cornerbacks coach Jon Hoke, who coached against him in college. “And what he has been able to do for their team right now is really remarkable. You have to give the guy a lot of credit. And you have to give their coaches a lot of credit for getting him ready. He’s just that type of guy.”
Learning three offenses in one season is an accomplishment in itself. Dobbs has been solid running them, ranking 20th in passing yards, 21st in passer rating and second among quarterbacks in rushing yards this season. His mobility adds a different challenge for the Bears defense, who faced the slow-of-foot Kirk Cousins when the two teams played Oct. 15.
“You’ve seen him make some crazy runs …” said Bears linebacker T.J. Edwards, who leads the NFL in tackles. “You’ve got a lot of respect for a guy who can just come in and kind of will his team to victory. …
“We’ve seen them before and kind of have a good idea of what they like to do. But he definitely adds a different element.”
The Bears will have to take precautions. Their defensive linemen will have to stay true to their rush lanes to prevent him from leaking out. Coach Matt Eberflus will have to be cautious with how often he plays man defense, too — if cornerbacks, safeties and linebackers turn their back to the Dobbs, he might take off and run.
“You have to have people who are responsible for him as best you can — and still be able to rush the passer,” Hoke said. “That always complicates things.”
All eyes will be on how a Bears defense who frittered away the Lions game handles its next challenge.
“A quarterback that can extend plays —getting the job done throwing the ball, running the football, all types of ways,” linebacker Tremaine Edmunds said. “Anytime you have a guy back there that’s dual-threat like that, obviously it presents a lot of challenges.”