Vikings right tackle Brian O'Neill feels 'like a real person again' in return from Achilles injury

Right tackle Brian O'Neill is ready for his regular workload during the Vikings' season opener on Sunday against the Buccaneers more than nine months after suffering an avulsion fracture of his right Achilles tendon.

O'Neill said Friday he's "ready to play and feel like a real person again."

"It sounds weird," he said, "but I've been looking for positions to put my body in that don't feel right or feel weird or make me think twice, and I just haven't been able to find any. So, hopefully, I don't find any on Sunday either."

Like many other starters, O'Neill did not play in the preseason. He spent the past two weeks of practices preparing for his first game action since the Jan. 1 injury in Green Bay by trying to best simulate the awkward positions in which he might put his right leg on Sunday at U.S. Bank Stadium.

"Throwing my foot back there," he said. "Having an anchor and planting it into the ground, and trying to feel different things and different stresses, and it was good I didn't feel any."

O'Neill, a team captain and 2021 Pro Bowl player, drew strong reviews from head coach Kevin O'Connell and offensive coordinator Wes Phillips.

"Brian looks great," Phillips said. "He looks really good. He feels good. We're happy."

A strong test awaits in Buccaneers edge rusher Shaquil Barrett, who has 40.5 sacks in his last 54 games. Barrett led Tampa Bay in quarterback pressures again last season before going down in Week 8 with a familiar injury to O'Neill.

"He's coming off an Achilles tear, too," O'Neill said. "So, we'll see."

Safety Lewis Cine will play in just his fourth NFL regular-season game on Sunday — his first since the compound fractures of his tibia and fibula that ended his rookie year. He's returning as a backup safety and special teams contributor, roles on which the former first-round pick said he's not dwelling.

"People want to hear, 'Oh, are you starting? Are you this [or that]?' I don't get into the specifics," said Cine, who added that his goal is to practice and play well.

Cine has said his goal for Year 2 is to be available for every game.

"This is a big step for me," he said. "I'm only looking at this game like, 'All right, let's warm back up to where I was last year.' It was right when I was about to get playing time is when that kind of happened. So, now it's prep my mind right to just go."

Edge rusher Marcus Davenport injured his ankle on Thursday, according to O'Connell, and was limited during Friday's practice. Davenport is listed as questionable, the NFL's version of a 50/50 chance to play. O'Connell said coaches are optimistic he'll play Sunday. Edge rusher D.J. Wonnum would likely start if Davenport is inactive.

"A little bit of a tweak there," O'Connell said. "I want to be cautious, but we are optimistic that we should have Marcus. ... If he's able to go, he would handle his full responsibilities."

Punter Ryan Wright (ankle) and linebacker Troy Dye (elbow) are expected to play.

The Buccaneers listed guard Cody Mauch (back) and defensive lineman Calijah Kancey (calf) as questionable. Mauch, a rookie out of North Dakota State, was held out of practices Thursday and Friday.

• Former NFL quarterback Matt Ryan will be at U.S. Bank Stadium on Sunday for the first time since he was on the losing end of the biggest comeback in NFL history as the Colts quarterback who blew a 33-0 lead last December in the Vikings' 39-36 win. Ryan is now a CBS broadcaster and will be calling the game with Tiki Barber and Andrew Catalon.

• The Vikings agreed to an injury settlement with cornerback Tay Gowan and waived him from injured reserve.