Former Vikings Offensive Lineman Gets Another Chance with NFC Contender
If there’s one thing certain about the NFL, it’s that life can change very quickly for players.
Even if a player was once an established starter in the league, the NFL world keeps moving, and you have to keep up or get left behind.
That is certainly true for former Minnesota Vikings offensive lineman Dan Feeney, but now, he may be getting a chance to leave an impact with a contender in the NFC.
Former Vikings Offensive Lineman Signs with Tampa Bay
Feeney and the Tampa Bay Buccaneers agreed to a contract on Tuesday that would bring him to the team that has won the NFC South in each of the past four seasons.
Aaron Wilson of KPRC2 reported the news, posting on X, “#Buccaneers placed Luke Goedeke and Cody Mauch on IR, signed Dan Feeney off #Bills practice squad, promoted Luke Haggard from practice squad and also signed Sua Opeta to practice squad.”
Feeney was selected in the third round of the 2017 NFL Draft by the Los Angeles Chargers, and almost instantly, he became an established starter on that offensive line.
Feeney entered the starting lineup for the first time during Week 8 of his rookie season, and he proceeded to make 57 consecutive starts for the Chargers from 2017-2020.
In his first full season as the starter at left guard, Feeney’s Chargers went 12-4 in 2018 and won a Wild Card game against the Baltimore Ravens, earning a 23-17 victory on the road. Ultimately, though, their playoff hopes ended the same as many AFC teams’ did during the first 19 years of the 21st century: a loss to Tom Brady’s New England Patriots.
The Chargers would miss the playoffs in each of the next two years though as they entered the post-Phillip Rivers rebuild. Part of that rebuild meant letting Feeney go after the 2020 season, and he signed a new contract with the New York Jets.
However, Feeney wouldn’t win a starting job for the Jets, and he spent the majority of the season as a backup, starting just five games. Those five starts came over the final six games of the season.
Feeney stuck with the Jets in 2022, but once again, he was primarily a backup and started just two games over the course of the season.
That theme has remained true ever since. Feeney spent the 2023 season with the Chicago Bears and made just one start. Then, he spent the 2024 season with the Vikings, and not only did he not start a single game for the first time in his career, but he only appeared in eight games.
Feeney is yet to make an appearance in 2025, either, spending the first two weeks of the season on the Buffalo Bills’ practice squad.
However, that could change now that he is heading to Tampa Bay. Cody Mauch, who captivated NFL Draft fans with a toothless grin as he came out of FCS powerhouse North Dakota State in 2023, was placed on injured reserve after suffering a season-ending knee injury last weekend.
Mauch has held down the right guard spot ever since he was drafted, but now, the Buccaneers will have to find a different solution at the position. Perhaps Feeney can be the answer as he re-joins an NFL 53-man roster.
Editor’s Note: Statistics for this article were found via Pro Football Reference.
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