Dakota Dozier Lands with Division Rival
Dustin Baker
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The Minnesota Vikings opted out of retaining offensive guard Dakota Dozier for 2022, and now the 30-year-old has landed with a division foe.
That’s the Chicago Bears, a franchise now run by Ryan Poles, a general manager candidate who was in the mix for the Vikings GM job two months ago.
Dozier played with the Vikings for three seasons, tallying 38 total games and starting 53% of the contests. He was often known as a “Zimmer guy” for his annual re-upping with the Vikings, despite lackluster performance.
In 2018, Dozier was on the New York Jets, experiencing playing time here and there during Sam Darnold’s first season. There, Rick Dennison was employed as offensive line coach and run game coordinator. In 2019, Dennison trekked to Minnesota for the same job. And he brought Dozier right along with him.
The Vikings have struggled with offensive line pass protection for multiple consecutive seasons, and Dozier did little to help solve the problem. He didn’t play in 2021, but during the 2020 season, Dozier notched a 44.6 grade from Pro Football Focus, with a paltry 36.7 pass-blocking score. As the team’s pass protection waned mightily in 2020, Dozier was frequently the figurehead for frustration because the coaching staff simply wouldn’t bench the man. A man named Dru Samia was also a part of the “blame.”
In Chicago, Dozier will receive a fresh start, selected for the depth chart by the aforementioned Poles, who was an offensive lineman in college. Perhaps Poles knows something about Dozier the Vikings do not — although that feels unlikely.
Minnesota replaced Dozier in the 2021 starting lineup with a combination of Oli Udoh and Mason Cole. Udoh started the season hot but was beset by countless penalties when he settled in. It is unclear if Udoh will be considered the 2022 solution.
Cole, a man traded by the Arizona Cardinals to Minnesota last summer, signed with the Pittsburgh Steelers during the first wave of 2022 free agency. Some fans lamented his departure as he was a competent offensive lineman, a trait hard to come by for recent versions of the Vikings.
For this season, the Vikings could also explore their 3rd-Round draft pick from 2021, Wyatt Davis, at right guard. The Ohio State alumnus did not see the field on offense in 2021, a relative oddity for an offensive trenchman drafted with upper-tier draft stock. Perhaps the coaching staff, led by Kevin O’Connell, will insert Davis into the lineup — like fans begged for down the stretch of the 2021 season.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. His YouTube Channel, VikesNow, debuts in March 2022. He hosts a podcast with Bryant McKinnie, which airs every Wednesday with Raun Sawh and Sally from Minneapolis. His Viking fandom dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ and The Doors (the band).
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