Chicago Bears veteran likely to be cut this offseason: Dakota Dozier, OL
I know that Ryan Poles signed Dakota Dozier this offseason, but I am fairly confident he was just a camp body. Counting on Dozier to help keep Justin Fields upright this season would be a colossal mistake on Poles’ part. Dozier might look the part, but he has been nothing short of a disaster in the NFL.
Dozier is a former fourth-round pick in 2014. He has started 27 games in the NFL and saw his most action in 2020 while starting for the Minnesota Vikings. That experiment did not last long though as Dozier appeared in only six games in 2021 — none of them on the offensive line.
In 2020, Dakota Dozier finished the season with a Pro Football Focus (PFF) grade of 44.6. For those of you unfamiliar with how their grading system works, that is really bad. Now, to be fair, I am not a proponent of PFF grades. I find them to all be ridiculous at times and this is why we see a player like Roquan Smith with a PFF grade of under 50 last season. Really? Anyway, some people swear by the grades and I wanted to point it out.
Looking at the film, it’s obvious that Dozier just isn’t a starting offensive lineman in the NFL. He is constantly allowing pressure and gave up six sacks when starting for the Vikings in 2020. He is constantly being pushed back and is not any better in the run game. I don’t care if he “fits” the scheme, he is going to be a liability and I think the Bears’ offensive staff will realize this before the season starts.