Josh Dobbs may not be viewed as true QB1 material, but that doesn't mean he's not going to secure the bag as a free agent following the 2023 season.

An AFC executive told ESPN's Jeremy Fowler that Dobbs has "earned high-level No. 2 status" and that he's "a guy who can start games for you if you need." With that, Dobbs is due for "pretty good money" on his next deal, according to the executive.

Dobbs began the 2023 season as the starting quarterback of the Arizona Cardinals with Kyler Murray sidelined while recovering from a torn ACL suffered during the 2022 campaign.

The 28-year-old completed 62.8 percent of his passes for 1,569 yards and eight touchdowns against five interceptions in eight games, in addition to rushing for 258 yards and three scores.

However, the Cardinals went 1-7 in that span, and with Murray nearing a return from his injury, Arizona traded Dobbs to the Vikings ahead of the Oct. 31 deadline and started rookie Clayton Tune in a Week 9 loss to the Cleveland Browns.

Dobbs also started Week 9, but for the Vikings after starting quarterback Kirk Cousins was sidelined with a torn Achilles. He completed 20 of 30 passes for 158 yards and two touchdowns in a 31-28 win over the Atlanta Falcons, in addition to rushing for 66 yards and one score.

Vikings head coach Kevin O'Connell has already named Dobbs the starter for Week 10 against the New Orleans Saints, praising him for his performance against the Falcons.

"I thought what he did was remarkable," O'Connell told reporters, "but there's a lot of things that we'll coach him through and get him a little bit more comfortable in what we do."

Dobbs began his career with the Pittsburgh Steelers, which selected him in the fourth round of the 2017 draft out of Tennessee. He spent the first two seasons of his career in Pittsburgh, appearing in six games before joining the Tennessee Titans in 2022.

Dobbs didn't show much over the first three years of his career primarily playing as a backup, but he has proven this year that he has what it takes to elevate his game when called upon, which should go a long way in future contract negotiations.

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