Unsung Viking Deserves More Praise for Heroic 2023 Season
The Minnesota Vikings had an underwhelming 2023 season. Still, some players flourished despite the lack of team success, like safeties Camryn Bynum and Josh Metellus, who had breakout years. Some praise should also go to tight end T.J. Hockenson and rookie wideout Jordan Addison, as they carried the offense when Justin Jefferson and Kirk Cousins were hurt.
Unsung Viking Deserves More Praise for 2023 Season
Danielle Hunter was voted to his fourth Pro Bowl after producing a whopping 16.5 sacks, and left tackle Christian Darrisaw continued to showcase his dominance. Linebacker Ivan Pace came out of nowhere and shined.
All lists of the best Vikings look somewhat like this. But there is always one guy missing: Right tackle Brian O’Neill.
The stalwart offensive lineman joined the Vikings in the second round of the 2018 draft when Rick Spielman wanted to bolster the weak link of his unit. O’Neill couldn’t crack the lineup in time to start in Week 1, but teammates’ injuries led him to start 11 of the 15 games he appeared in. Since then, O’Neill missed one game in 2019 (the Vikings rested most of the starters as they had already clinched a playoff spot), one game in 2022, and three last season.
But those two absences in the last two seasons, with a total of four missed games, is why he deserves more credit. O’Neill chased down a pick-six during the horrendous outing at Lambeau Field in Week 17 of the 2022 season. The result? A partially torn Achilles. In the 2023 offseason, folks wondered whether he would be ready for the season opener just over eight months after his injury.
O’Neill slowly ramped up his workload in training camp. At first, he did some individual drills, then team drills without contact, and ultimately, full contact drills. In late August, with less than three weeks to go before Week 1, he said: “Confidence-wise I’m ready to go if we had a game tomorrow, I’m out there and I’m going to play 100% of the snaps.”
Indeed, the former Pittsburgh Panther was out there in Week 1. Remarkably, he wasn’t only “out there,” he played magnificently. Pro Football Focus graded him as the 24th-best tackle in the NFL. He was one of 16 offensive tackles with grades of at least 70 in both pass-blocking and run-blocking.
According to ESPN, O’Neill was one of only three offensive tackles with a pass block win rate of 96%. Interestingly, his second half of the season didn’t quite meet the level of the first half. Perhaps Kirk Cousins’ injury hurt his numbers, as the backups tended to hold the ball too long.
The most fascinating aspect, however, is that O’Neill missed three games late in the season. Why is that notable? It should’ve been four.
He suited up for the playoff-caliber game versus Green Bay. A win would’ve kept the playoff hopes alive, but the loss practically ended those theories. He finished the game with three QB pressures and an average PFF grade. That is nothing to write about in a vacuum, but it is an outstanding feat with some context.
A fractured bone in his foot kept him out of the games in Weeks 15, 16, and 18. Andrew Krammer from the Star Tribune reported about it when the right tackle was honored by his teammates.
Not only is O’Neill a solid football player who might be the team’s most consistent contributor, but he can safely be titled gridiron warrior for his performance in 2023.
He is now back to full health and hopes to keep defenders away from his quarterbacks in the upcoming season.
The lineman will turn 29 in September and is under contract through the 2026 season.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Focus, Over the Cap, and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt
You must be logged in to post a comment.