Brian O'Neill Has Partially Torn Achilles, But Blake Brandel Could Return Soon

Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill suffered a partially torn Achilles while trying to chase down Packers safety Darnell Savage during Sunday's game. He'll undergo surgery soon and will begin the recovery process with his sights set towards being ready for the 2023 season.

This is a huge loss for the Vikings. O'Neill is a captain, a locker room leader, and one of the best right tackles in the NFL. He signed a big contract extension with the Vikings before the 2021 season, made the Pro Bowl, and was even better this season. All year long, O'Neill was extremely consistent and productive on the right side of Minnesota's offensive line.

#Vikings RT Brian O'Neill this season:

- 1,052 snaps
- 83.1 PFF grade (fourth among right tackles)
- 83.3 run block grade
- 77.9 pass block grade
- 24 pressures allowed (1.6 per game)
- ZERO full games below a 63 grade

A model of consistency. The road to recovery begins now. pic.twitter.com/05eCbuOPOp
— Will Ragatz (@WillRagatz) January 4, 2023

"He was such a pillar of consistency for us all year," O'Connell said. "Even during some of the moments when we weren't at our best, Brian was still so consistent for us in his role. It's going to be a hard thing to replace."

The good news is that it was just a partial tear, so O'Neill should make a full recovery after surgery.

"My understanding is he should be able to make a full recovery and be ready and hopefully available to start next season," O'Connell said.

For now, Oli Udoh is the Vikings' right tackle. He stepped in when O'Neill went down early in Sunday's loss in Green Bay and is set to start this weekend in Chicago.

However, there's a chance the Vikings will be getting swing tackle Blake Brandel back from injured reserve soon. He suffered a torn MCL 3.5 weeks ago against the Lions, but is apparently progressing well and is eligible to come off IR for the first round of the playoffs. That would be a big boost. Brandel mostly played well while filling in for Christian Darrisaw at left tackle over five games earlier this season.

"There is a very good chance we'll get Blake back," O'Connell said. "He's done an excellent job in his recovery and we thought, when he got that injury, that it would be right around that four-week mark, which allowed us to use that temporary IR tag. I know Blake is doing everything he can to get back with his guys up front there as soon as possible."

The Vikings also added former Rams third-round pick Bobby Evans to their practice squad to provide depth at tackle along with rookie Vederian Lowe.

The outlook at center is slightly less clear. Austin Schlottmann will also have surgery, so he's out for the season. O'Connell has said numerous times recently that he hopes to get starter Garrett Bradbury back "at some point," but there's no timetable there. Bradbury is dealing with a lingering back injury, so there's no guarantee he returns this season.

Chris Reed, who is typically a guard, stepped in for Schlottmann during Sunday's game and struggled mightily with snap cadence and timing, causing two delay of games and two false starts. The Vikings signed veteran center Greg Mancz this week, so he might be the new favorite to start this weekend and during at least the first round of the playoffs. Mancz has 22 career starts at center, including all 16 games for the Texans back in 2016.

O'Connell said Mancz has been in the Vikings' building for a couple days and is doing a great job trying to get up to speed in their offense.

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