1 Veteran Viking Has Quietly Been Impressive
The Minnesota Vikings have an enormous pool of talented players on the offensive side. Of course, every football fan on the planet knows wideout Justin Jefferson. When folks talk about the offense, they also mention his running mate Jordan Addison and tight end T.J. Hockenson. Running back Aaron Jones is well known, and left tackle Christian Darrisaw had just started to get some buzz before tearing his ACL.
1 Veteran Viking Has Quietly Been Impressive
But one guy keeps getting overlooked: 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 and he has been handling the right tackle duties in Minnesota since his rookie campaign.
While he has always been solid, this season, he has been excellent. Pro Football Focus lists him as the tenth-best offensive tackle in the league with at least 300 snaps, and his grade of 83.1 is the best of his career.
O’Neill has allowed nine pressures in nine games, ranking him ninth in the NFL. His pass-block efficiency lists him fifth. He also ranks fifth in ESPN’s pass-block win rate.
The veteran has been an unsung hero for the Vikings ever since stepping foot into the state, but Darrisaw’s presence amplified the phenomenon as he is a more praised player.
Besides his outstanding play on the field, he deserves credit for his durability.
In his rookie season, O’Neill couldn’t crack the lineup in time to start in Week 1, but he ended up starting in 11 of the 15 games he appeared in because of teammates’ injuries. Since then, O’Neill has 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.
He was ready, and he was his old self. Later in the season, he missed a trio of games, but it truly should’ve been four. He suited up in Week 17 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. He played that game with a bone fracture in his foot.
O’Neill is a truly remarkable player who plays well year in and year out but rarely gets the credit he deserves.
The Vikings have their right tackle under contract for the remainder of the 2024 season and the following two years. He is scheduled to enter free agency in 2027.
To this point, the one-time Pro Bowler has earned every penny of that $92.5 million contract. The 29-year-old has been one of the most reliable players on the team for years, and 2024 isn’t any different.
Editor’s Note: Information from Pro Football Focus 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