Stacking the trenches seems to be the main objective for Chicago Bears GM Ryan Poles this offseason as another offensive lineman, Dakota Dozier, signed a one-year deal with the team on Wednesday.
The 30-year-old lineman appeared in six games last year for the Minnesota Vikings and has played in 76 games with 27 starts over seven NFL seasons. The 2021 season in particular was a difficult one for Dozier as he spent time in the hospital later in the season battling a severe case of COVID-19.
Dakota Dozier was on the practice squad last year when he dealt with COVID-19 and ended up in the hospital. I sat down with the new Bears guard last December for this first-hand account of what he went through. https://t.co/JD9WY8omTi
— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) March 23, 2022
Outside of his health woes, the six games he did appear in with the Vikings were mainly on special teams, not along the offensive line. His only full starting season was in 2020 when he appeared in all 16 games for Minnesota where he did not miss a single offensive snap.
While he does have experience starting along the offensive line and the Bears still have some upgrades to do, specifically at right guard, his performances wouldn’t necessarily be considered start-worthy.
#Bears OL Dakota Dozier didn't play any offensive snaps in 2021. His PFF grades over the last few years:
• 2018: 57.1
• 2019: 51.5
• 2020: 44.6Nice to have a lineman with starting experience, but better hope they don't plan on having him compete for a starting job here.
— Jacob Infante (@jacobinfante24) March 23, 2022
With the second offensive lineman signing under Poles’ belt in free agency, the question now becomes if any more signings will occur in this next wave or if one of the second round picks the Bears hold in next month’s NFL Draft will be spent on a promising lineman.
Make sure to check out our Bears forum for the latest on the team.
