The Minnesota Vikings have informed unrestricted free agent Dakota Dozier the team will not be re-signing him, according to the Pioneer Press’ Chris Tomasson.
The veteran offensive guard only appeared in six games for the Vikings last season, and he didn’t start in any of them. It was a major step back from him playing and starting in all 16 games of the 2020 season.
He was forced to take a backseat with Ezra Cleveland, a second-round pick in the 2020 NFL Draft, finally catching on and getting extended reps on offense.
This departure from Minnesota now gives him the freedom to find a new team that could utilize him more on the football field.
Of course, opportunities won’t come easy considering he was never really a standout on a Vikings team that desperately needed help on the interior part of their offensive line.
In fact, he struggled due to lingering issues in pass-blocking and untimely penalties.
Dozier’s exit marks the second offensive lineman to depart from the Vikings in the new league year. On Monday, it was announced that center Mason Cole was signing a three-year deal to join the Pittsburgh Steelers.
