Dallas Turner Played an Increased Role vs. Falcons
The Minnesota Vikings have not gotten as many contributions from their rookie class as they were hoping for when the draft concluded in April. That, of course, can be attributed to J.J. McCarthy’s injury. The rookie was ruled out for his debut season with a knee injury. However, the club acquired Dallas Turner in the draft.
2 Vikings Rookies Had an Increased Role vs. Falcons
Turner was widely expected to be the first defender off the board but ultimately dropped to the 17th overall spot, where Vikings GM Kwesi Adofo-Mensah was waiting after trading up a few ranks.
That move was costly and earned the GM some criticism. Those voices were starting to get even louder when two other players who were available at the time started to generate serious Rookie of the Year buzz: Quinyon Mitchell and Jared Verse.
Throughout his rookie campaign, Turner has had the problem of being stuck on a team with Andrew Van Ginkel and Jonathan Greenard roaming the edges of Brian Flores’ defense. Both have a great chance to earn their first Pro Bowl nomination after the season.
In Sunday’s matchup against the Falcons, the Vikings were without backup rusher Pat Jones, resulting in more chances for Turner, who played 26 defensive snaps. The sweet part is that he was used as a Swiss Army knife, and Flores sent him into coverage for seven of those plays. He rushed the passer 11 times and was a run defender eight times.
He is obviously Van Ginkel’s replacement at this point, and it confirms the theory coming out of the draft that Turner is a versatile player who fits Flores’ defense perfectly.
After the draft, Flores compared him to a former versatile star defender he worked with when he was the Patriots’ linebacker coach: “The name that comes to mind, and he was another Alabama player, is Dont’a Hightower. Big, fast, physical, great traits and intangibles, leadership. That’s the name that comes to mind. I would say he’s probably a little faster than Hightower.”
Fellow outside linebacker Gabriel Murphy even recorded two more defensive snaps in his NFL debut on Sunday (28). The easy explanation is that Murphy primarily played as a pass rusher on obvious passing downs.
Each of the rookies registered one QB hit, and they both ranked inside the top 10 of Minnesota’s defenders in PFF grade.
Murphy joined the Vikings after the draft, as no team pulled the trigger in any of the seven rounds. After a productive season at UCLA, he generated some buzz ahead of the draft, but even more excited were the Vikings when he signed with the club.
He came with some size deficiencies like short arms, which was not a factor in his college days, and the franchise showed a year ago that they don’t care about any supposed limitations with linebacker Ivan Pace.
Back to Turner, who told the Star Tribune after the game “Man, I’m just getting started,” Turner said. “I’m starting to get it. With the great group of leaders we have and the great group of coaches, I feel like the game is starting to slow down for me as a rookie at this point in the season. Honestly, just embracing my role on the team and being the best teammate possible. And we’re winning, so why be mad?”
Turner’s lack of opportunities has nothing to do with him as a player but more with who the competition is and the complex defense he is learning on the fly. In recent weeks, Turner’s snap counts have quietly risen, and he has gotten some nice push against NFL tackles while showcasing his speed whenever he is in the open field or has to close the gap between him and a quarterback.
Ex-Vikings passer Kirk Cousins had first-row seats for one of those moments when Turner delivered a huge hit that seemed to spark the entire purple team.
Patience is required for the 21-year-old, who was expected to need some time to develop. The flashes and the athletic tools are there, and his role will further grow.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF and Pro Football Reference helped with this article.
Janik Eckardt is a football fan who likes numbers and stats. The Vikings became his favorite team despite their quarterback at the time, Christian Ponder. He is a walking soccer encyclopedia, loves watching sitcoms, and prefers Classic rock over other genres. Follow him on Twitter if you like the Vikings: @JanikEckardt