NFL.com Names Vikings “Unsung Hero”
He’s had a good week.
NFL.com Names Vikings “Unsung Hero”
That’s Brian O’Neill, who became a two-time Pro Bowler on Monday after the NFL announced he would replace Lane Johnson in Orlando at the Pro Bowl games. Johnson and the Eagles will play in Super Bowl LIX against the Kansas City Chiefs.
So, O’Neill is a Pro Bowler again, and according to NFL.com’s, the Vikings’ unsung hero of 2024. Kevin Patra named an unsung hero for each NFC team and wrote about O’Neill, “The Vikings’ season would have collapsed much quicker if O’Neill hadn’t been a rock at right tackle. LT Christian Darrisaw’s season-ending injury displayed a lack of depth in Minnesota — necessitating a trade for Cam Robinson. Luckily, the Vikings had a stalwart in O’Neill on the right side.”
O’Neill is absolutely beloved in Minnesota, one of the longest-tenured players on the current roster. In fact, if fullback C.J. Ham and safety Harrison Smith depart this offseason for retirement or otherwise, O’Neill would be the last man standing per longevity.
“When he briefly exited in Week 15 against Chicago, things got dicey quickly. Luckily for Sam Darnold, it wasn’t an elongated absence. O’Neill was stellar as both a run blocker and pass protector, allowing 19 total pressures while posting a 98.3 efficiency rating, per PFF. Few OTs proved as solid in both pass pro and road grading as O’Neill in 2024,” Patra added.
Overall, O’Neill ranked 16th among all offensive tackles this season, per Pro Football Focus’ scoring system (80.8). He’s one of the steadiest performers on Minnesota’s roster and has been as such for the last eight seasons.
Former general manager Rick Spielman scooped O’Neill out of the 2018 draft, and before long, O’Neill became a Vikings mainstay on the offensive line and, in fact, one of the few saviors who kept Vikings fans from utter madness regarding the trenches from 2018 to 2021.
With two Pro Bowls to his name and status as one of the league’s most handsomely paid right tackles, O’Neill is forever ingrained in the fabric of the Mike Zimmer and Kevin O’Connell eras of Vikings football. And he’s scheduled to be a Viking for at least two more seasons.
O’Neill and the Vikings, on the whole, could use a little help next to him. The club’s interior offensive line floundered in a playoff loss to the Los Angeles Rams, so much so that O’Connell called it out after the game.
But no one has to worry about O’Neill. He’s the real deal, a two-time Pro Bowler, and an unsung Vikings hero.
O’Neill will turn 30 in September.
Dustin Baker is a political scientist who graduated from the University of Minnesota in 2007. Subscribe to his daily YouTube Channel, VikesNow. The show features guests, analysis, and opinion on all things related to the purple team, with 4-7 episodes per week. His MIN obsession dates back to 1996. Listed guilty pleasures: Peanut Butter Ice Cream, ‘The Sopranos,’ Basset Hounds, and The Doors (the band). He follows the NBA as closely as the NFL.
All statistics provided by Pro Football Reference / Stathead; all contractual information provided by OverTheCap.com.
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