Vikings Evidently Have an Overlooked Player
If you ask casual non-Vikings fans about the team, they can name Justin Jefferson and some other offensive weapons, and possibly the quarterbacks. On defense, some might have seen Andrew Van Ginkel make plays with his characteristic blond hair. Other than that, the squad certainly lacks big names on that side of the ball.
Tom Blair of NFL.com compiled a list of the most underappreciated players on each team. His pick for the Vikings was Dallas Turner, who has a massive opportunity this year.
Set to enter the starting lineup in place of the departed Jonathan Greenard, Minnesota’s third-year edge rusher will be one of the most important contributors on the team.
Blair explained his choice, “Turner didn’t do much in 2024 after being drafted 17th overall, appearing in 16 games as a rookie but playing just 28 percent of Minnesota’s defensive snaps and mustering a paltry three sacks. His eight-sack effort last season sort of snuck by me, with 4.5 of those coming between Weeks 13 and 18, when the Vikings were mostly playing out the string on the remainder of a lost season.”
Turner’s production exploded when Greenard was sidelined with a shoulder injury, and he finally got the chance to get after the quarterback. Earlier in the year, he was put in Van Ginkel’s do-it-all role when the 2024 Pro Bowler missed time with a neck injury. Of course, Van Ginkel is a one-of-a-kind player who nobody can really replace.
Greenard, meanwhile, though a fantastic player, had a normal edge-rushing role. His job was to hunt quarterbacks and set the edge in the running game, while rarely dropping into coverage. That’s where Turner felt more comfortable and it’s why expecting him to have a true breakout year isn’t too unlikely.
Blair added, “Turner’s encouraging sophomore effort came into better focus when I was digging deeper into a slightly bizarre (but positive!) speculative case I was building about his team. Thanks to Jonathan Greenard’s exit via trade, it is looking like Turner’s, uh, turn to show what he can really do. So don’t be like me; start appreciating Turner now, before it’s too late.”
In his sophomore season, Turner registered 8 sacks, 66 tackles, 11 tackles for loss, and, perhaps most impressive, an exceptional 4 forced fumbles. He appeared in all 17 games and even logged 10 starts.
Greenard endorsed Turner this month: “The next person up is Dallas Turner. When he’s on, and he’s dialed in on the game plan, I mean, the kid is a bottle of explosion. I mean, the guy literally is, like I mentioned before, the 4.4 guy and he’s only just breaking the surface of how he’s going to be in this league.”
Turner is a freak athlete, delivering a 4.46 40-yard dash. It was costly to bring him to the Twin Cities. The Vikings traded for Houston’s first-round pick, presumably to prepare for a quarterback trade-up in the 2024 draft. When the Drake Maye trade was off the table and J.J. McCarthy — for better or worse — was gettable without spending that extra pick, the Vikings used Houston’s selection in another trade package to grab Turner.
Early in his career, he was stuck behind Greenard and Van Ginkel. Backup Pat Jones also had a solid 2024 campaign, further preventing Turner from seeing the field.
Last year, following Jones’ exit and with the help of both Pro Bowlers’ injuries, Turner’s playing time climbed. Another spike is expected. Given the lack of depth at the position, the Vikings need their costly investment from two years ago to become the next big thing on Minnesota’s edge, stepping into the footsteps of countless edge-rushing stars in franchise history.
Turner no longer has the luxury of developing quietly behind proven veterans. With Greenard gone, the expectations have changed. The Vikings are no longer looking for flashes from the former first-rounder, but they need consistent impact.
The encouraging part for Minnesota is that Turner already showed signs of becoming that player late last season. Now, with a full-time role finally within reach, the Vikings are betting that his breakout was only the beginning.
He’s still only 23 years old. Time will tell if he can meet those expectations.
Editor’s Note: Information from PFF, Over The Cap, and Sports Reference helped with this article.