Former Indiana Football Player Dan Feeney Traded to Chicago Bears

Indiana football offensive lineman Dan Feeney was traded by the Miami Dolphins to the Chicago Bears on Tuesday, Aug. 29. Feeney played at Indiana from 2012-16 for coach Kevin Wilson.

Former Indiana football player Dan Feeney has been traded from the Miami Dolphins to the Chicago Bears. 

Feeney is entering his seventh year in the NFL after being selected by the Los Angeles Chargers with a third round pick back in the 2023 NFL Draft. A four-season starter for coach Kevin Wilson and the Indiana Hoosiers from 2012-16, this will now be the third professional team Feeney has played for. The interior lineman from IU played for the Chargers from 2017-20, for the New York Jets from 2021-22 and was originally signed by Miami this offseason.

However, as first reported by ESPN's Courtney Cronin, Feeney's tenure with the Dolphins was short lived, not even lasting a full summer. With young offensive lineman Teven Jenkins reeling from injuries, Chicago gave up a 2024 sixth round draft pick in order to acquire Feeney, who has played all three interior line positions throughout his NFL career. 

The Bears are sending a 2024 6th round pick to the Miami Dolphins for veteran guard Dan Feeney, source confirms. With Teven Jenkins leg injury keeping him "week to week," Chicago adds much needed interior depth w/ an OL who has experience at LG, C and RG.

— Courtney Cronin (@CourtneyRCronin) August 29, 2023

Few players were more dependable on the football field for the Indiana Hoosiers during the mid-2010s than Feeney. The 6-foot-4, 310-pound lineman from Orland Park, Ill., arrived in Bloomington and immediately played as a true freshman, starting all 12 games during the 2012 season.

Unfortunately, Feeney missed the entirety of the 2013 college football season after suffering a foot injury in fall camp. He received a medical redshirt that season, and returned to start for three more campaigns in Bloomington from 2014-16. 

Feeney was a major catalyst behind the dominant 2,036 yard rushing season from running back Tevin Coleman in 2014. He also helped spur multiple 1,000-yard seasons from backs Jordan Howard and Devine Redding in 2015 and 2016.

For his efforts, Feeney was named a first team All-American in both '15 and '16, becoming only the fourth Indiana football player in program history to earn the status twice. The other three IU legends to accomplish that same feat were Anthony Thompson, John Isenbarger and Pete Pihos. 

Every snap Dan Feeney played in the Dolphins Final preseason game. He was traded for a 6th to the #Bears pic.twitter.com/SErDcW6XIM

— ImBearingDown (@ImBearingDown) August 29, 2023

Feeney was also a major positive for the Hoosiers in the locker room, not just on the football field. He was named a team captain in both the 2015 and 2016 seasons. 

The Bears and Feeney begin the 2023 NFL regular season on Sunday, Sept. 10 at 4:25 p.m. ET, when the Green Bay Packers travel to Chicago for the teams' first game of the year. 

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