Tag: Brian O’Neill

Report: Vikings DE D.J. Wonnum and RT Brian O’Neill had false positive COVID-19 tests

Vikings DE D.J. Wonnum and RT Brian O’Neill were back at practice Thursday.

The Vikings had some key players out from practice Wednesday.

Minnesota DE D.J. Wonnum and RT Brian O’Neill both tested positive for COVID-19 — but those tests proved to be false positives, according to a report.

Per Chris Tomasson of the Pioneer Press, Minnesota got Wonnum and O’Neill back at practice on Thursday after the testing. 

On Wednesday, there were two other players who were out from practice but did not have injuries: CB Mackensie Alexander and TE Chris Herndon. Those two were both back in practice, though it hasn’t been reported whether those absences were related to COVID-19 protocols or not.

The Vikings already lack depth at defensive end after Danielle Hunter went down with an injury. Wonnum being back is a big help. Minnesota’s corner depth may get better this week, though: Patrick Peterson was back practicing on Thursday.

The Vikings moved to 4-5 with the win over the Chargers Sunday. Minnesota heads back to U.S. Bank Stadium this week to play Green Bay on Sunday.

The NFL’s All-Underrated offense in the first half of the 2021 season

From Matt Ryan to Deebo Samuel to Rodney Hudson, here are the NFL’s most underrated offensive players in the first half of the 2021 season.

In every season, there are those players who, for whatever reason, do not receive the recognition their talents deserve. Perhaps they’re languishing on bad teams, or they’re doing their best in less than optimal situations, or it’s just that their positions aren’t the ones that get noticed.

But these players — Touchdown Wire’s Secret Superstars of the first half of the 2021 NFL season — have all earned notice as among the best at what they do, and it’s our job to help bridge the talent/recognition gap.

Here are most underrated offensive players in the first half of the 2021 season.

Vikings RT Brian O’Neill shows endless positivity when mic’d up

Vikings RT Brian O’Neill was making friends all over the field in Week 6.

Vikings RT Brian O’Neill is almost certainly the best offensive lineman on Minnesota right now.

With LT Riley Reiff departing this offseason, O’Neill has become the best option in pass protection — by far. He’s not too bad at run blocking, either. For all his earlier efforts, O’Neill earned a large extension before the Vikings’ regular season opener this year.

In Week 6, Vikings fans got a glimpse into how O’Neill plays in-between the whistle. Just because the Minnesota right tackle can block, doesn’t mean he’s making enemies on the field.

O’Neill was mic’d up for the Vikings’ victory over the Panthers. You can see just how positive O’Neill acts throughout a tumultuous game for Minnesota:

O’Neill finished with a PFF overall grade of 60.4 and a pass-blocking grade of 62.1 in the win over Carolina. He also had zero penalties. The Vikings defeated the Panthers to move to 3-3 in 2021. This week, Minnesota has a tougher test against a 5-1 Dallas team.

Vikings sign RT Brian O’Neill to multi-year extension

Brian O’Neill, arguably the best offensive lineman on the Vikings, has agreed to a multi-year extension with the team.

Brian O’Neill has been arguably the Vikings’ best offensive lineman for the past few seasons.

With his rookie contract running out in a year, Minnesota decided to lock him down during the offseason before he was set to become a free agent.

The Vikings announced that they signed O’Neill to a multi-year extension. At the time this article was published, there was no official word on how many years or how much money the contract will be.

With Riley Reiff departing for the Bengals this offseason, O’Neill became — by far — the best option Minnesota has on the exterior offensive line. This move locks down one of the more important players who was set to be a free agent in 2022.

“I really don’t think [my role] has [changed],” O’Neill said in mid-August, per the Vikings. “I try to be the same guy every day this year as I have been the last couple years. Try to be myself, and hopefully that energy and attention to detail attracts guys and they want to come along.”

The Vikings made a move similar to the O’Neill decision when the team extended S Harrison Smith earlier this offseason. Those two were arguably the biggest names on the Vikings roster who were going to be free agents next year.

In 2020, O’Neill finished with a PFF overall grade of 78.0. Since he’s taken the starting reigns in 2018, O’Neill has become one of the better right tackles in the NFL. It’s good for the Vikings that he’s staying around.