Tag: Brian O’Neill

Vikings Josh Metellus voted by peers as 9th team captain

The third-year safety was bestowed the honor by his teammates

It’s standard for NFL teams to name season-long captains for their teams, and the Minnesota Vikings were no different. Before Week 1 of the NFL season, the Vikings named eight players as captains for their 2022 campaign.

  • Quarterback Kirk Cousins
  • Runningback Dalvin Cook
  • Wide reciever Adam Thielen
  • Right tackle Brian O’Neill
  • Middle linebacker Eric Kendricks
  • Cornerback Patrick Peterson
  • Saftey Harrison Smith
  • Fullback C.J. Ham

These players are voted on by their peers in the locker room, so it’s a high honor to be named team captain. Unfortunately, O’Neill suffered a partially torn Achilles in Week 17 against the Green Bay Packers which ended his season. Since O’Neill would not be playing again in 2022, Vikings head coach Kevin O’Connell took this opportunity to name another captain.

In his weekly press conference with the media on Monday, O’Connell announced that safety and special teams player Josh Metellus would be the ninth captain for the Vikings for the remainder of this season. O’Connell said he had spoken to O’Neill prior to naming Metellus captain, and O’Neill was “fired up” about it.

“First and foremost, I checked in with Brian to make sure he thought it was a great idea and he was fired up about it and even as he finished saying that he said ‘It should be Josh Metellus.’ That was a nice foreshadowing to the overwhelming number of votes he got. Josh got a lot of votes to be a captain at the beginning of the year.

As I mentioned to you guys, 22 players received votes to be a captain and Josh was right there and then what he has done throughout the season. Just his role on special teams and being one of the premier special teams players in the league, but also when he’s gotten the chance to go out there on defense like he did yesterday, incredibly consistent, smart player and you feel his physicality and his ability to tackle. Made a couple of nice plays on the ball when it was in the air yesterday. Not a surprise to me. He’s been A-plus for me all season from a standpoint of just his role, but also his ability to lead our group has been huge.”

Metellus has a good reputation in the locker room with his peers and was one of the players who received votes to become team captain prior to the start of the season. Metellus put together a strong showing for the Vikings on special teams and defense as the season progressed. He had two blocked punts in back-to-back weeks and a game-winning interception in Week 3 against the Detroit Lions.

Vikings could be getting an important depth piece back for playoffs

With right tackle Brian O’Neill out for the season the Vikings’ depth at tackle looks to be improving

The Minnesota Vikings recently placed right tackle Brian O’Neill on injured reserve this week after he partially tore his Achilles in the Week 17 matchup vs. the Green Bay Packers. After placing O’Neill on injured reserve, the Vikings went out and signed tackle Bobby Evans to the practice squad to help shore up the tackle position. It’s to be determined if the Vikings will elevate Evans to the active roster, but it’s a good insurance move nonetheless.

In addition to signing Evans, the Vikings may be getting back a key depth piece as head coach Kevin O’Connell announced on Wednesday that tackle Blake Brandel could be back in time for the playoffs.

Brandel was placed on injured reserve earlier this season when he tore his MCL vs. the Detroit Lions. He has filled in for an injured Christian Darrisaw a few different times this season. In those games, Brandel has allowed 13 pressures and seven sacks. While Brandel has typically played left tackle in college and now in the NFL, there is a chance the Vikings could try and utilize him at right tackle with O’Neill out for the season.

Currently, all indications are that Oli Udoh will take over for O’Neill. Getting Brandel back for the playoffs is important, as he’s played well enough when called upon. The hope is that no one else gets hurt, but in the event Udoh or Darrisaw go down, having Brandel will be an added bonus as playoffs near.

Brian O’Neill suffered a partially torn Achilles in Week 17 vs. Packers

It’s not the worst possible news but it’s not great either

While it’s not quite the worst possible outcome, it’s certainly not a good one for right tackle Brian O’Neill. During his press conference on Wednesday, head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed that O’Neill partially tore his Achilles along with the calf injury he sustained during Sunday’s game.

When calf injuries are reported initially, it is often that they get reclassified as Achilles injuries.

The good part for O’Neill is that the Achilles is only partially torn, which is a good thing for his recovery. Athleticism is a major part of O’Neill’s game and not having a full tear makes the recovery quicker and easier.

Zulgad: Brian O’Neill’s absence could sink Vikings’ hope of making a playoff run

From @jzulgad: With the loss of Brian O’Neill, the Vikings could see flashbacks of 2017 when they lost Nick Easton

Vikings coach Kevin O’Connell is likely regretting his first-quarter decision to go for it on fourth-and-2 on Sunday at Lambeau Field — or at least his play call.

Quarterback Kirk Cousins dropped back with the ball on the Green Bay 37 and rifled it toward tight end T.J. Hockenson. The pass was tipped by cornerback Rasul Douglas and picked off by safety Darnell Savage. Savage raced 75 yards for a touchdown to give the Packers a 14-3 lead and a preview of what was to come in a 24-point loss.

Amazingly, it wasn’t the worst result of the play. Vikings right tackle Brian O’Neill suffered what coach Kevin O’Connell called a “significant” injury to his calf as he pursued Savage. On Tuesday, O’Neill was placed on injured reserve. His season is likely finished and his absence could play a large role in ending the Vikings’ season early in the playoffs.

Minnesota is 12-4 entering its regular-season finale Sunday in Chicago and already has the NFC North clinched. An embarrassing 41-17 loss to the Packers on Sunday means the Vikings are likely to have the No. 3 seed in the NFC playoff field and face the New York Giants on wild card weekend at U.S. Bank Stadium.

What the Vikings won’t have for that game is one of the NFL’s best right tackles. O’Neill was elected to the Pro Bowl in 2021 after signing a five-year, $92.5 million contract just before the regular season. His contract makes him the second-highest paid right tackle in the league to New Orleans’ Ryan Ramczyk. Ramczyk averages $19.2 million per season; O’Neill is at $18.5 million.

O’Connell plans to replace O’Neill with backup tackle Oli Udoh, who struggled playing out of position at right guard last season. A second-round pick in 2018 by the Vikings, O’Neill is a team captain and has become the leader of an offensive line that finally had some stability this season. Pro Football Focus has him graded as the NFL’s fourth-best right tackle.

But wait, it gets worse.

The Vikings also have potential issues at center after placing Austin Schlottmann on injured reserve Tuesday. He suffered a left fibula fracture in the first quarter shortly before O’Neill was lost. Schlottmann was playing because Garrett Bradbury has missed the past four games due to a lower back injury. O’Connell would only say that “the hope is that we’ll have him back,” but he declined to put a timetable on Bradbury’s return.

This could put veteran guard Chris Reed, who had never played a regular-season game at center until Sunday, in a starting role, but the Vikings also have signed eight-year veteran Greg Mancz to the active roster. Mancz has played in 64 games during his career, including one with Buffalo this season.

The Vikings potential starting offensive line in the playoffs could be Reed or Mancz at center, often-struggling rookie Ed Ingram at right guard and Udoh at right tackle. If that’s the case, good luck to Cousins, who likely will be facing the New York Giants and blitz-happy defensive coordinator Don “Wink” Martindale in the first round.

If this sounds familiar it should. It was in the penultimate regular-season game of the 2017 season in Green Bay, when the Vikings lost left guard Nick Easton because of a fractured right ankle. The offensive line was shuffled with Mike Remmers moving from right tackle to left guard and backup Rashod Hill taking over at right tackle. Remmers, like Reed in this situation, was playing out of position and it showed.

That Vikings team, the last to win the NFC North before this one, finished 13-3 and beat the Saints on the Minneapolis Miracle play before getting destroyed 38-7 in the NFC title game in Philadelphia.

Easton’s loss was a blow, but he wasn’t nearly as important as O’Neill is to this unit. This has been mostly a magical season for the Vikings and their first-year coach, but you have to wonder how long it will continue with O’Neill watching from the sideline.

Vikings place O’Neill and Schlottmann on IR, make 2 other roster moves

The offensive line has a couple of new members

The Minnesota Vikings had some injuries to the offensive line on Sunday afternoon against the Green Bay Packers and they made some roster moves on Tuesday to address those issues.

The Vikings placed right tackle Brian O’Neill and center Austin Schlottman on injured reserve effectively ending both of their seasons. In turn, the Vikings signed center Greg Mancz to the active roster and tackle Bobby Evans to the practice squad.

Mancz is an eight-year veteran that spent most of his time with the Houston Texans. He played in one game with the Buffalo Bills this season and has played in 64 games overall.

Evans won a Super Bowl with the Los Angeles Rams last season after being a third-round pick by the team in 2019. He played in 35 games for the Rams over his three seasons, including 12 this season with four starts.

The Vikings should call Andrew Whitworth about replacing Brian O’Neill

With O’Neill out for at least a week, the Vikings should go outside the box in trying to find a replacement

The Minnesota Vikings had some unfortunate injury luck when they faced the Green Bay Packers this past Sunday along the offensive line and the worst of it was Brian O’Neill. He suffered a significant injury to his right calf and was already ruled out of Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

That leaves a couple of options internally, including Oli Udoh and Vederian Lowe, but they leave a lot to be desired. I wrote about a few options that the Vikings could target, but there was one that makes all the sense in the world that I didn’t mention.

Andrew Whitworth.

In a similar vein to when we discussed Odell Beckham Jr. joining the Vikings before Thanksgiving, Whitworth played for head coach Kevin O’Connell when he was the offensive coordinator for the Los Angeles Rams in both 2020 and 2021 and was tremendous in both seasons.

Teams have already made calls to Whitworth but as he said in the preseason right after the Dallas Cowboys left tackle Tyron Smith, they need to convince his family, not him.

Sure, it’s a long shot that Whitworth would first off want to come back and second come to Minnesota. The team that drafted him, the Cincinnati Bengals, have a need at tackle since La’el Collins tore his ACL just a week ago. They have an even deeper connection than O’Connell does.

The financial element is something that you could get really creative with. They could give him a signing bonus and pro-rate it with void years as he wouldn’t end up playing a single regular season game. All he would get was the postseason share.

It’s not the most likely scenario to bring in Whitworth, but it is something that the front office needs to inquire on.

Brian O’Neill (calf) ruled out for Week 18 vs. Bears

This isn’t a good sign for the star right tackle

The Minnesota Vikings suffered two injuries in Sunday’s embarrassing 41-17 loss to the Green Bay Packers and they both were to the offensive line.

Center Austin Schlottmann (broken ankle) and right tackle Brian O’Neill (calf) both left the game early in the first quarter and head coach Kevin O’Connell ruled both of them out for Sunday’s game against the Chicago Bears.

During his press conference on Monday afternoon, O’Connell broke the news about O’Neill and said that the injury was pretty significant.

That is a major cause for concern as O’Neill has been the Vikings’ most consistent offensive linemen over the last five seasons and not having a full-time starter on either side of Ed Ingram could end up being a disaster.

The Vikings are struggling without Garrett Bradbury

The Vikings are struggling without their starting center

The Vikings went into Green Bay Sunday afternoon with hopes of eliminating the Packers from the playoffs, but instead, it was quite the opposite. The Packers came out on top keeping their playoff hopes alive, and the Vikings fell to the number three seed in the NFC standings.

Unfortunately, the Vikings had a few guys leave due to injury and one of those positions was center. Austin Schlottmann has been filling in for Garrett Bradbury who has been battling a back injury. On just his fifth play of the game, Schlottmann suffered a broken ankle that will knock him out for the rest of the season.

In previous seasons, fans may not have thought that losing Bradbury would be that detrimental to the team. This season, it’s been quite the opposite. Before getting hurt, Bradbury was Pro Football Focus’ 10th-ranked center and had been proving himself as an important member of the offensive line. Since his injury, the interior offensive line has taken quite the hit. Sunday’s game against the Packers was another example.

On the surface this stat is bad, but in context to how Bradbury has played this season, it’s even worse. In the 12 games that he has played this season, Bradbury has just one game with five pressures allowed and that was against the Dallas Cowboys.

The Vikings might just be playing it cautious with Bradbury knowing they have the playoffs already locked up, but if for some reason Bradbury can’t go, this interior offensive line could be in for a world of hurt when the playoffs arrive. Throw in the fact that Brian O’Neill left the game Sunday with a calf injury, and the severity is unknown. Things could turn south fast for this Vikings offensive line.

Austin Schlottmann (ankle) likely out for remainder of the season

The injuries keep mounting for the Vikings

The Minnesota Vikings suffered multiple injuries to the offensive line on Sunday against the Green Bay Packers with center Austin Schlottmann hurting his ankle and right tackle Brian O’Neill hurting his calf.

In his postgame press conference, head coach Kevin O’Connell confirmed the worst for Schlottmann, as he broke the fibula bone in his ankle.

Depending on how severe the fracture is, the injury may require surgery. Needless to say, he will likely miss the rest of the season. His replacement was Chris Reed who is a converted guard and showed some struggles snapping the ball.

The Vikings could be in dire straits on the interior until they get back starting center Garrett Bradbury.

8 tackles the Vikings can sign with the loss of Brian O’Neill

The Vikings could be in dire straits without O’Neill

The Minnesota Vikings are starting to test the depth they have on the offensive line after losing both center Austin Schlottmann (ankle) and right tackle Brian O’Neill (calf) to injuries in the first quarter against the Green Bay Packers.

The one that stings the most is O’Neill. He is one of the best tackles in the NFL and his loss was obvious on the field as Oli Udoh is not who you want starting next to Ed Ingram. We will know more later this week, as he will be having an MRI on his calf.

If O’Neill is going to be out for an extended time, the Vikings might want to look elsewhere for an option at right tackle. Here are eight options that the Vikings could turn to with O’Neill’s status in doubt.