3 toughest matchups for Yetur Gross-Matos in 2020
By Dean Jones
Brian O’Neill – Week 12 on Carolina Panthers schedule
One formidable adversary awaiting Yetur Gross-Matos is Brian O’Neill of the Minnesota Vikings. The Carolina Panthers pass-rusher will get all he can handle from the right tackle, who enjoyed a breakout campaign in 2019.
O’Neill is a former second-round pick who overcame some early struggles during his rookie year to emerge as one of the league’s most productive offensive lineman last season. He protected quarterback Kirk Cousins tremendously well and was also a huge asset in running downs.
The lineman allowed just one sack last season, which was just a small element of what O’Neill brings to the table. There was speculation linking the player with a move to left tackle this offseason. But the Vikings somehow found a way to keep Riley Reiff despite their salary cap restrictions heading into the offseason.
Gross-Matos will be well into his first campaign as a professional by the time he locks horns with O’Neill. So this will be a good yardstick for him and how far the player has come in a short space of time.
The Vikings are counting on O’Neill to take another step forward in 2020. Despite losing some veteran players during the offseason, Mike Zimmer’s men still hold out hope of wrestling the NFC North crown from the Green Bay Packers and making a postseason appearance for the second consecutive year.